Helping others can actually help out your health when it comes to lowering your risk for hypertension. In fact, a longitudinal study of at least 200 hours of volunteer service showed that participants who actively engaged in volunteer work had a lower risk for high blood pressure.

During a 4-year follow-up, those who volunteered at least 200 hours had 40 percent lower odds for new-onset hypertension compared with other people who reported no volunteer work in the previous year, according recent findings published in the journal Psychology and Aging.

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Rodlescia S. Sneed and Sheldon Cohen, PhD, of Carnegie Mellon Uinversity in Pttisburg, also noted, via study, that regular volunteerism can be linked to overall improved psychological well-being and physical activity.

"This association was independent of age, race/ethnicity, baseline health status, education, sex, marital status, employment status, baseline systolic/diastolic blood pressure, extroversion, and agreeableness," Sneed and Cohen reported, via the journal.

"Importantly, the association persisted even after controlling for chronic illnesses measured at baseline, such as history of diabetes, cancer, stroke, lung problems, or heart problems. This is important because these illnesses could be associated with less volunteer participation and also with greater hypertension risk."

Previous studies have also shown that volunteering can be linked to several other health benefits, including overall cardiovascular health and self-esteem. According to another study from JAMA Pediatrics regarding cardiovascular health and volunteering, study author Hannah Schreier, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver also noted that posted overall impacts volunteering had on health.