Voting Is Good For Your Health, Here’s The Science To Prove It
From 2017–2019, I had the pleasure of leading creative for Bulletproof 360, the butter coffee company. Given that biohacking is part of the company’s culture, we explored health optimization content in a host of different ways. I created videos and stories on everything from sensory deprivation tanks to red light therapy to high doses of vitamin C, and also … civic engagement and activism.
For a seven day window, I strapped on a heart rate variability monitor, tracking the times in my day where my body was in “recovery mode.” Recovery mode is essential for humans — it’s when we recharge and recalibrate our minds and bodies. One would assume that recovery comes from sleep — and it does — however, my resting heart rate variability monitor also showed recovery and recharge at one unexpected moment during the week: when I was participating in the Women’s March in Los Angeles.
So what was it about marching shoulder to shoulder with thousands of other women that made my body respond with such a sense of calm? It could have to do with the connection between civic engagement and physical and mental health.
Civic engagement is loosely defined as participating in activities that impact the greater good. These include voting, volunteering, social organizing, and community engagement.
There aren’t many long-term studies relating to the intersection of civic engagement and wellness — but one 2019 study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation offers some insight.
The researchers in the study sought to learn if there was a causal relationship between civic engagement and physical and mental health. They wanted to know if there was a connection between the two.
The answer? Yes.
Researchers found that people saw an increase in physical and mental health when they were civically engaged, whether through voting or other activities in their communities. They also found that teenagers and young adults suffering from depression had lower civic engagement rates, and, conversely, community involvement reduced the rates of depressive symptoms for people in the same age group. Anecdotally, this shows that when you’re participating in democracy, it’s not just good for your community; it’s good for your mental health.
Moreover, when more people in society are civically engaged, it can make the broader population healthier. Several studies support this, but one study out of Harvard showed that just registering to vote and voting yielded 7.3 fewer deaths per 100,000 women. Additionally, a study from Carnegie Mellon University found that adults, 50 and older, who volunteered 200 hours or more had a lower chance of developing high blood pressure and a higher psychological well-being rate.
And the health benefits of civic engagement appear to go way further than just election day. The Federal Department of Health and Human Services found that when young people volunteer or vote, they’re also more likely to make healthy food choices and less likely to deal with depression symptoms for years to come.
The bottom line: it doesn’t take a heart rate variability tracker to tell you that voting feels good. But here’s some proof that civic engagement isn’t just good for democracy; it’s good your health. So do it.
