Business of Life

Other People's Good Deeds Make You a Better Person

I remember years ago watching the comedian George Carlin on television.
He was playing the part of a news announcer. I was absolutely charmed by his announcement of the discovery of a new color - it seemed totally ridiculous and very funny. I had a similar feeling when I heard about the "discovery" of a new emotion. Except, it's really true. Jonathan Haidt , Asst Prof of Psychology, at the University of Virginia, won the Templeton Positive Psychology Prize and a cash award of $100,000, in 2001.

According to Dr. Haidt, witnessing--even reading about--acts of kindness, heroism, or moral beauty produces an emotion called “elevation.” Elevation has been noted in different cultures around the world and often manifests itself as “a feeling in the chest, especially warm, pleasant, or tingling.” It also has a motivating effect: People who have experienced elevation report “wanting to help others, to become better people themselves, and to affiliate with others” who are also doing good.

Part of the Business of Life is becoming a better person, developing character and integrity. So, now we know that by seeking out stories of inspiring or heroic people make it more likely you will act that way yourself. I guess that's why there are inspirational section of bookstores. People know that if you are feeling in the dumps, reading biographies or inspiring stories can really help. Now we have a word for why it works so well.

Let me excerpt one part of
Prof Haidt's study on elevation

Myself and 3 guys from my church were going home from volunteering our services at the salvation army that morning. It had been snowing since the night before and the snow was a thick blanket on the ground. As we were driving through a neighborhood near where I lived I saw an elderly woman with a shovel in her driveway. I did not think much of it, when one of the guys in the back asked the driver to let him off here. The driver had not been paying much attention so he ended up circling back around towards the lady's home. I had assumed that this guy just wanted to save the driver some effort and walk the short distance to his home (although I was clueless as to where he lived). But when I saw him jump out of the back seat and approach the lady, my mouth dropped in shock as I realized that he was offering to shovel her walk for her.the most common response was to describe generalized desires to help others and to become a better person.

Several participants described the kind of openness and urge to be playful that Fredrickson ascribes to joy. The woman who wrote about the snow-shoveling episode above also wrote,

"I felt like jumping out of the car and hugging this guy. I felt like singing and running, or skipping and laughing. Just being active. I felt like saying nice things about people. Writing a beautiful poem or love song. Playing in the snow like a child. Telling everybody about his deed".

A common theme in most of the narratives is a social focus — a desire to be with, love, and help other people.

Posted by Jill Fallon at April 23, 2004 09:44 PM | Permalink