We are wired for connection. Ancient wisdom, which is today supported by research, reminds us – we need each other. This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is themed “Community”. As a psychologist, I witness daily how a sense of belonging - to family, neighbourhood, culture, or shared cause - can protect mental wellbeing and help people thrive, even through adversity.
Community is not just about receiving support. It’s just as important to give it. And in that mutual exchange lies a surprisingly transformative aspects of mental health: altruism.
Why Community Matters
Humans are fundamentally social. Our brains and nervous systems are shaped by connection from birth, and our emotional health is tightly bound to our social environments. Studies consistently show that people with strong social ties have lower rates of depression and anxiety, faster recovery from illness, and even longer lifespans.
The “buffering hypothesis” suggests that social support acts as a cushion during times of stress. When people feel connected to a caring community, their perceived ability to cope with difficulties improves. The presence of empathetic others can reduce both the intensity and duration of stress-related symptoms. However, support isn’t just something we receive, it’s something we give. And research shows that giving support can be just as beneficial as receiving it.
A landmark study by Post (2005) found that altruistic behaviour is associated with significant health benefits, including lower levels of depression and anxiety, improved life satisfaction, and even a 44% reduction in mortality over a five-year period in older adults who volunteered regularly. Similarly, a 2013 study published in Psychosomatic Medicine found that providing support to others was more strongly linked to reduced stress-related activity in the brain than receiving support.
Community as a Two-Way Street
Too often, we frame mental health support in terms of what individuals get; services, understanding, accommodations. But in truth, one of the most powerful ways to improve our own wellbeing is to become part of someone else’s support system.
Helping others, showing up for a neighbour, or simply listening with intention can boost your own sense of purpose and self-worth. These acts of connection activate neural pathways linked to reward and empathy, releasing oxytocin and endorphins, sometimes called “the helper’s high.”
Crucially, altruism also builds resilience. When we feel useful to others, we’re more likely to see ourselves as competent and valuable, even in the face of personal struggle. It reinforces identity, promotes emotional regulation, and builds the kind of reciprocal trust that deepens all our relationships. Fundamentally, we all have a need to feel useful, that we matter to other people, that we can make a positive difference, even if it’s small, to the world.
How to Build (and Contribute to) a Stronger Community
Creating a sense of community doesn’t require grand gestures. It grows through consistent, mutual acts of care. Here’s how to begin:
- Be present: Engage with the people around you. Practice being open by looking people in the eye, engaging in small talk, showing interest in others.
- Join a community initiative, support group, or class where relationships form naturally through shared action.
- Offer help to someone struggling, volunteer your time, or mentor someone younger.
- Practice Micro-Altruism: Small, everyday acts of kindness - a warm greeting, a meal dropped off, a check-in message, build the threads of connection.
- Encourage Inclusivity: Communities flourish when all feel welcome. Advocate for those who are underrepresented or overlooked.
Community is a vital ingredient to our mental health. And as this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week reminds us, our wellbeing grows not just from feeling part of something, but from contributing to it.
Altruism is healing. When we help others, we also strengthen ourselves. When we build community, we build resilience. And in times of uncertainty or pain, these connections can light the way forward.
So whether you reach out, show up, or give back, know that every act of connection is also an act of care for your own mental health. We heal in community, and we thrive when we care for one another.