Ideas in Action: Simple Practices for Helping others

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“We have so far to go to realize our human potential for compassion, altruism, and love.”

― Jane Goodall, Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating






Altruism is largely considered a belief in and practice of selfless concern towards the happiness of others. It appears to be present in many primates, including humans. Research suggests that altruistic behavior and more general tendencies for helping others are evolutionarily highly selected for within humans. It appears that a strong propensity for kindness and generosity is a very human quality and that it works to improve the health and happiness of the giver and the receiver alike. In general, the closer you feel to others around you, it would be easier to form groups and alliances and work together to accumulate resources and defend against any threats. 

Like other helpful behaviors, engaging in altruistic behaviors is a practice that requires effort and time. Here I want to share some easy altruistic practices that can help overcome the barriers to practice, are easy to do, and likely help us build a larger culture of helping and promoting kindness in our society.


  1. Compliment one another person each day - this is an easy practice that simply requires one to find something to appreciate about another human being - it can be a friend, neighbor, a barista, a stranger on the subway - a simple compliment is likely effortless on your part but it might make the receiver’s day. 

  2. Give a hug - When possible and appropriate, find a way to give a hug to your pet, partner, parent, or kids. Humans thrive on touch and with the recent advent of cellphone usage and social media, we are increasingly touch starved. So making it a point to engage in the practice of giving a hug is going to help us meet a rather basic need - the need for human touch.

  3. Do something for others without an expectation of reward - volunteering at a local organization or even helping your elderly neighbor walk a dog, counts! There are many organizations and causes to choose from - help promote health awareness, fight loneliness by writing a letter at a time, or teach younger kids to read or play squash.

  4. A random gift for someone - Whatever your means and ability, a small gift can really bring a smile to someone’s face.  The other day when I was out for a walk with a friend, we stopped by the seven eleven and I bought small chocolate for my mom - she didn’t expect it and was genuinely happy at the gift - gifting can really go a long way to making your altruistic practice a pleasant experience for someone. 


I hope you will give these altruistic practices a try and together we can make our world a little kinder, more helpful, and more enjoyable for everyone. Because one act of kindness usually leads to another, every time you try one of the above practices, you are making the wave of altruism get bigger and larger.

Go YOU!



For more ideas, please do check out:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/eliciting_altruism

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/doing-good-does-you-good/health-benefits-altruism

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_physical_touch_matters_for_your_well_being





 

Comments

  1. ReaderMarch 19, 2023 at 5:50 PM

    Simple yet effective ideas right out of Anthropology class- thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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