Is voting good for your health?

Although you might not think of exercising your right to vote is as good for your body as exercising on a treadmill, research has shown that fulfilling your civic duty can benefit your health.

“Voting can be an empowering activity, allowing us to enact our civil responsibilities so our voices may heard,” says Sarah Katula, Ph.D., an advanced practice nurse in psychiatry at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Ill.

If you’re heading to the ballot box for Tuesday’s mid-term election, take note of some of the specific ways casting your vote can improve your well-being:

1. Voting helps strengthen our social ties, which in turn is linked with greater quality of life and longevity, according to Stanford researchers.
2. Voting is linked with reports of greater health. In fact, people who live in states with below-average voter turnout are more likely to describe their health as “fair” or “poor” than people who live in areas with higher voter turnout, according to a study in the American Journal of Public Health.
3. Voting is good for mental health; it can help lower stress and even ward off future mental health conditions, especially people with a “disadvantaged social status,” according to one academic paper, “The Psychological Benefits of Political Participation,” published by a University of Virginia professor. “Political activity stands to be a resource that might offset some of the negative mental health consequences associated with disadvantaged social status,” that study states.
4. Voting sets a positive example for children. “Parents don’t realize that even though kids can’t vote, they can learn about the voting process and learn about how their parents think about different issues,” said Marc Zimmerman, a psychologist and professor at the University of Michigan.
5. Voting is positively correlated with personal happiness. Major benefits of being politically active include a greater sense of well-being and satisfaction with life, according to research published in the journal Political Psychology.

The health benefits can continue even after the polls close. As the votes are tallied and outcomes reported, voters often feel a sense of satisfaction – particularly if their candidate wins.

“When citizens witness the positive outcomes of their voting, whether it is for a candidate or a bill, we feel that our voices matter and we can affect change,” Katula says.

Cast a ballot for democracy – and your own health – by voting in Tuesday’s general election.