Research finds that youth mental health has been on a downward spiral since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, 40 percent of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and 20 percent seriously considered attempting suicide.
Experts in youth development have been investigating interventions and policy changes that will help improve adolescent mental health. A six-year research project from Cornell University has identified a surprisingly simple approach: focus on contributing to others.
The Contribution Project, led by Cornell psychologist Anthony Burrow, randomly selected more than 1,200 high school and college students to receive $400 to add value for themselves or for their communities. The funds came with no strings attached—students could decide to use the money however they wished.
Eight weeks after receiving the funds, participants scored significantly higher than non-recipients on multiple psychological measures, including sense of belonging, well-being, sense of purpose, and feeling useful. These improvements were meaningful changes in how young people experienced their daily lives.
Students used their funds in diverse ways: paying for hundreds of loads of laundry for community members, donating books to their former high schools, planting trees on campus, and creating mental health resource websites. The specific action mattered less than the act of thinking about and making a meaningful contribution.
The findings are preliminary, and the study is currently in the peer-review process, but these early results parallel broader research findings on purpose and well-being. Studies from Burrow’s Purpose and Identity Processes Lab have shown that youth with a greater sense of purpose tend to feel more positive and are more resilient in the face of stressors and challenges.
“Sensing purpose during adolescence becomes an asset that can pay dividends as you age,” said Burrow, who also serves as director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research. “It can lead to greater life satisfaction, social and civic engagement, less loneliness, and better health outcomes.”
Anyone can apply these principles in their lives. The practice involves identifying something meaningful to you, thinking about a specific contribution you could make, taking action, and reflecting on the impact. The act of contributing appears to generate psychological benefits regardless of the scale of the contribution.
“It has been fascinating to see the broad range of ideas people have for contributing,” Burrow said. “From small sentiments like handing out candy or hosting discussions to acts with broader impacts like launching new organizations, we are seeing the joy this project brings to communities.”
The Contribution Project continues to expand nationally through Purpose Commons, a non-profit dedicated to helping young people ages 14 to 25 build a stronger sense of purpose, and The Purpose Science and Innovation Exchange, a research initiative founded by Burrow to further study purpose. The initiative recently received funding from the John Templeton Foundation to further study how young people develop and experience a sense of purpose.
The take-home message: New research suggests that focusing on how young people contribute to others can boost their mental health. It’s a principle that may have broad implications for improving the mental well-being of people of all ages.
