The results of a new study published in the U.S. Health News 8 show that seniors who regularly participate in volunteer activities are not only healthier, but also live longer. To understand the relationship between willingness to help others and longevity, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco Senior Medical Center surveyed 6,360 seniors over the age of 65, whose average age was 78 and 60 percent of whom were women. In the survey, the researchers asked whether seniors usually participate in volunteer activities that help others, which involve religion, education or health, etc. At the same time, the researchers also considered other factors that can affect the elderly’s longevity, such as whether cognitive and mobility abilities are impaired, whether they suffer from depression, senility and various chronic diseases. The results showed that only 12 percent of the 1,766 older adults who regularly participated in volunteer activities died during the study period, while 26 percent of those who did not participate in these activities died. The researchers explained that the reason why the elderly who often participate in volunteer activities are healthier and live longer may be the following reasons: First, the elderly and the community to make more contact can avoid loneliness and isolation; second, because of helping others and happy; third, to participate in meaningful activities to help the elderly to reduce or quit some bad habits, such as smoking, sedentary, depressed and irritable mood.