New evidence from the United States suggests that, in ethnically diverse neighbourhoods, residents of all races tend to "hunker down." Trust (even of one's own race) is lower, altruism and community co-operation rarer, friends fewer "
Robert Putnam, " E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century The 2006 Johan Skytte Prize Lecture," Scandinavian Political Studies, Vol. 30, No. 2, 2007.
"...demand for more evidence from policy makers and increasingly multi-faceted approaches to regeneration initiatives ..neighbourhood vitality ..."
Measuring Neighbourhood Vitality Report 2005 Toronto
People in America have fewer close friends nowadays than two decades ago, researchers announced today. New research compared studies from 1985 and 2004. On average, each person in 2004 reported 2.08 close friends -- those they can discuss important matters with. That's down from 2.94 people in 1985.People who said they had no one with whom to discuss such matters more than doubled, to nearly 25 percent
Lynn Smith-Lovin, professor of sociology at Duke University.
".. recognition that the process of participation often matters as much as the outcome..."
Michael Toye - Political and Social Affairs Division -- Parliament of Canada http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/LOP/ResearchPublications/prb0756-e.htm
New research from the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) shows that people who are inclined to help others (who are communally oriented) experience positive emotions and social benefits that enhance their daily lives.
Bonnie Le, a PhD student in the Department of Psychology.
". . .people who said that their neighbours could be trusted tended to report better health than less trusting souls."
Eileen Bjornstrom, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Missouri7.
"..helping a neighbour, volunteering, or donating goods and services results in a "helper's high" that can lower stress and help you live a longer, happier life."
Dr. Stephen Post
"People who are inclined to help others (who are communally oriented) experience positive emotions and social benefits that enhance their daily lives."
University of Toronto
Altruism behaves like a miracle drug... It has beneficial effects on the person doing the helping…it benefits the person to whom the help is directed; and it can stimulate healthy responses in persons at a distance who may view it only obliquely.
Dr. Larry Dossey
It boosts the immune system; it impacts the brain in multiple ways, leading to positive feeling and closeness to others; it impacts the cardiovascular system, protecting us from the seeds of heart disease; and it even relaxes the nervous system
Dr. David R. Hamilton
"Men who volunteered had death rates two and one-half times lower than those who did not volunteer"
The Taskforce for Humanity Coalition
Having a highly active social life can decrease Alzheimer's disease risk by a surprisingly high 70 percent
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.
"Each one-point increase on the social activity score was linked to a 47 percent drop in the rate of decline in cognitive function, "
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago
