Abstract: Volunteering involves freely chosen helping activities that extend over time and that are often performed through organizations and on behalf of receptive causes or individuals. Volunteering can promote well-being by means of maintaining physical and mental health, changing coping styles and improving the living conditions. Theories of social integration, psychological resources and perspective-taking thinking explain the mechanism that volunteering acts on well-being to some extent. Some investigates have focused on the effects which reflect on volunteers’ well-being, but not explicitly examine the influence on that of recipients’ and the reciprocal effects of personal well-being and volunteer services, so more research is needed in these areas.

Key words: volunteering, physical and mental health, coping, satisfaction, well-being