Integrity is good for your health. People whose lives are based on high moral standards are significantly less likely to suffer from depression, according to a fresh study by researchers at Harvard University in the United States.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
First, how do you measure integrity?
For the purposes of their study, lead researcher Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska and her colleagues began by constructing a scale based on seven indicators to assess the moral values of 1,209 randomly selected participants at a single large service company in the United States. These subjects had to say to what extent (from 0 to 10) they subscribed to various statements such as: “My strength comes from the help I provide to others. “I always treat others with kindness, fairness and respect. “I am ready to face certain difficulties if it is necessary for me to do good. »
Health check
The researchers then asked people in their sample to describe their state of physical and mental health. They also had access to the claims that these people had submitted to their insurance company, as well as their diagnoses of depression, anxiety and cardiovascular disease when this was the case.
Much less depression
Results ? People who base their lives on high moral values have a lower risk of depression, with a reduction in incidence ranging from 21% to 51%. People who had high integrity scores were also those who felt, in their self-assessment, to have better physical and general health. The results also indicate that high moral standards have a protective effect against anxiety and cardiovascular disease, although less dramatically than for depression.
The hypotheses of the researchers
The researchers believe that the significantly lower risk of depression may be related to “brain responses associated with the moral aspect of the decision-making process.”
According to the study authors, their findings support “evolutionary theories that altruistic behaviors and generosity contribute to better social cooperation and enhance adaptation to a changing environment.”
It seems that such behaviors, opposed to the law of the strongest – “are conducive to the survival of humanity in the process of evolution”.
Follow-ups to do
Like any study, this one has its limitations, as the researchers say. One of these stems from the fact, they write, that their cohort was mostly white-collar and not representative of the entire population.