It’s Good to Do Good
There’s a saying that it’s better to give than to receive. We get an overall feeling of happiness when we help someone, or plan a surprise for someone, or give a gift. Did you know that every time you perform a good act, you get a drop of serotonin? Serotonin is the feel good chemical in our brains. And not only do you feel good, the recipient of your act feels good, and anyone who witnesses your act also feels good. The world benefits from making it public.
Anonymous Good (www.anonymousgood.org) is a website that takes that concept and extends it to feed people, free slaves, provide clean water, and plant trees. When you see or do an act of good and post it on the site, the organizers of the site get the acts sponsored by a financial contributor. Fifty cents is donated for each act of good you post. That money goes toward their goals.
There’s another website called Random Acts of Kindness (www.randomactsofkindness.org) that is based on the concept of paying it forward. They believe that kindness can change the world, one action at a time. Kindness has a ripple effect, sparking others to do the same. Their website is loaded with kindness ideas, stories and inspiration. They even have lesson plans to teach kindness as a skill, to be incorporated in any educational curriculum, to strengthen compassion muscles. Start posting your photos, ideas and stories on this site to make the world a better place.
The world can be an ugly place. There is too much violence, suffering and pain that cause us to feel stressed. The opposite of a feel good chemical is a stress hormone, cortisol, that can do bad things to us. Cortisol is released in response to fear or stress by the adrenal glands to prepare us for fight or flight. Although this can be a helpful function, elevated cortisol levels can lead to problems such as memory impairment, lower immune function, weight gain, cholesterol, and heart disease. Chronic stress and high cortisol levels also increase risk for mental illness, decreased resilience and lower life expectancy.
We need a reminder of all the good in the world. What will be your next act of good?