Selflessness steadies your mental health; self-centeredness makes it swing.

We know being selfless links to happiness. Yet scientists still know very little about how selflessness shapes negative mental health in daily life. They also lack evidence on self-centeredness, a related process described in the Self-centeredness/Selflessness Happiness Model. To explore this, researchers tracked people during everyday life using experience sampling. They tested how both traits influence positive and negative mental health, alongside connections to others and nature. How do these mindsets work? Selflessness and self-centeredness play distinct, complementary roles. Selflessness builds and stabilizes mental health across time. In contrast, self-centeredness weakens mental health and makes it more unstable. These processes also shape how people bond with their social and natural environments.

Why it matters

Caring for others isn't just nice—it keeps your mood steady. This study finds selflessness predicts stable mental health, while self-centeredness predicts worse and more fluctuating well-being. That could change how we approach daily habits and relationships.

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