Volunteering in middle and older age is linked to good mental health/emotional wellbeing, finds a large study of British adults, published in the online journal BMJ Open.
But no such association was seen before the age of 40, suggesting that the link may be stronger at certain points of the life course, say the researchers.
Previous research has shown that volunteering in older age is associated with better mental and physical health, but it's unclear whether this extends to other age groups.