A “Helper’s High” is the positive emotional and psychological state that some people experience after helping, supporting, or doing something kind for another person.
It may involve feelings of:
Happiness and satisfaction
Meaning and purpose
Connection with others
Increased self-esteem
Reduced stress
A sense of accomplishment or fulfillment
Why does it happen?
Helping others may activate the minds’s reward system. Acts of generosity and compassion may be associated with the release of neurotransmitters and hormones involved in reward, motivation, and social bonding, including dopamine, endogenous opioids, and oxytocin: “Please, Consult with a Neurologist.”
Helping may also contribute to a person’s sense of meaning, the feeling that one’s actions matter and have a positive impact.
Example
A person volunteers, working for free, at a homeless shelter. Although the work may be physically or emotionally demanding, afterward they may feel:
“I’m tired, but I feel good. I did something meaningful today.”
That positive feeling is often described as a helper’s high.
An important psychological distinction
A helper’s high is generally considered healthy when helping is:
Voluntary
Balanced
Consistent with the person’s values
Not dependent on receiving praise or approval
However, helping may become problematic when a person feels compelled to constantly rescue others, ignores their own needs, or derives their entire sense of worth from being needed. This may contribute to compassion fatigue, burnout, or codependent patterns.
In a broader mental health sense, the helper’s high may be understood as one expression of prosocial behavior, altruism, meaning making, and eudaimonic well-being, the fulfillment that comes from living in accordance with one’s values and contributing to something larger than oneself.
Shervan K Shahhian
LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 