Why accepting help makes us happier

Many of us find offering help far easier than accepting it from others, but the latter can yield so many benefits, as journalist Catelijne Elzes discovered.

When my washing machine broke, 
I first considered going out to find a laundromat, but decided to call my neighbor instead. This was hard for me because I don’t really like asking for favors. But in this case I was in a hurry, and needed my workout clothes fast, so I decided to risk it. “Of course! You’re welcome to use my machine,” she said.

I went to her house and we had a nice chat about where those little holes in our T-shirts come from and 
90 minutes later, she was at my door with my red laundry basket, filled with clean clothes. In the course of the following week, I also did a wash at my downstairs neighbor’s place. I forgot what a funny guy he is and it turns out he works at home just as often as I do—good to know. And I did the last load of laundry at my brother-in-law’s who lives two blocks away from me. We drank tea while we waited for the wash to finish. We talked about his battle against the insurmountable pile of laundry he’s had since he became a single father. We had a nice time.