Become a mentor for happiness and optimism
Such is the conclusion of the Standard Life Insurance Company of Canada based on the findings of its national survey. The results suggest that the fountain of youth for adults lies in mentoring children and teenagers. Conducted by Ipsos Descarie, the survey compared the attitudes of Big Brother and Big Sister volunteer mentors with average Canadians and clearly shows not only that “Bigs” are happier with their lives but also that they are more energetic, are younger at heart, and have a significantly more positive view of aging than other adult Canadians. Half of the youth mentors polled (51%) described their lives as “very happy" compared with 29 per cent of Canadian adults from the general population. When asked if they were optimistic or pessimistic about life, 81% of the mentors surveyed described themselves as optimistic, compared with 63% of adults who have not been engaged in youth mentoring. An interesting fact, Canadians who are not mentors were more than twice as likely as Big Brothers or Big Sisters to believe that things get worse as they age (44% versus 20% for youth mentors). Ordinary Canadian adults were also more than three times as likely to feel less useful as they age (19% versus 6% for youth mentors).
Source : Standard Life press release
