I don't believe it: Actor Richard Wilson dressed as mean-fisted Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

It's the lesson Scrooge learned the hard way - and now a study has revealed the moralbehind Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol may be true after all.

New research has revealed the do-gooders amongst us live longer than the meaner, less charitable people.

The figures also showed people who volunteer to help others have an increased lifespan than those who do it for personal satisfaction.

Scientists studied a random group of 10,317 college students from their graduation in 1957 until the present day.

In 2004, respondents reported whether they had volunteered within the past ten years and how regularly.

Researchers found that four years later 4.3 percent of 2,384 non-volunteers were dead.

A similar number - four percent - of volunteers with more self-orientated motives were also dead.

However, only 1.6 percent of those volunteers whose motivations were more focused on others were dead four years later.

The study's lead author Dr Sara Konrath, of the University of Michigan, said: 'This could mean people who volunteer with other people as their main motivation may be bufferedfrom potential stressors associated with volunteering, such as time constraints and lack of pay.

'We recommend that people pay attention to their reasons for volunteering, and try to focus on how their behaviour can positively impact others.

'It does not appear that volunteering for self-serving reasons does actual harm, and it can still do your community good.'

(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)

這是斯克魯奇歷經苦難才學到的東西，如今一項研究揭示，狄更斯的經典作品《圣誕頌歌》背后的寓意也許是正確的。

新研究發現，行善者比那些不慷慨、不寬容的人活得更長。

數據還顯示，那些主動幫助他人的人比那些為滿足自己而幫助他人的人壽命更長。

科學家隨機抽取了10317名大學生作為研究對象，并跟蹤調查了他們從1957年畢業后到現在的情況。

2004年，被調查者們報告了他們在過去十年內是否曾主動幫助他人以及這樣做的頻繁程度。

研究人員發現，四年之后，那些不曾主動幫助他人的2384名被調查者中，有4.3%已經去世。

那些為了自身利益去主動幫助他人的人也有4%去世，人數和前者相近。

然而，那些更多地為對方考慮的自愿助人者只有1.6%的人在四年后去世。

該研究的主要作者、密歇根大學的薩拉康拉斯博士說：“這可能意味著那些以他人利益為主要出發點的助人者也許可以免受和自愿助人相關的潛在壓力的困擾，例如時間有限、薪酬不足。

“我們建議人們注意一下自己幫助他人的原因，并試著去關注自身行為怎樣能給他人帶來正面影響。

“這并不表示為了自身利益而幫助他人是有害的，這么做還是可以造福你的社區。”

來源：中國日報網英語點津   編輯：許銀娟