Dr. Michael R. MacDonald
Generosity can be heart warming, and even life changing.
I have been busy trying to spread the word.
Here is a bit of a wandering story about generosity, smart thinking and social media. And a cautionary tale for those who count on social media to help others and build a more compassionate world.
Can Social Media Make You Smarter?
My first social media ventures were with Facebook. I posted each article I wrote to my Facebook profile. Then I got more ambitious and started posting my articles to Facebook groups. I only posted to groups with content that fit with the interests of group members. I never had anything to sell and thought my sharing of free articles might be attractive to the group. There were never any complaints – except from Facebook itself.
Each time I wrote an article on my website, A Warm Heart, I would post it to about 30 facebook groups. This worked well for a few months and generated lots of views to my site. Then Facebook closed my account and accused me of spreading spam. That was a low blow, especially coming from Facebook.
After a few months I was able to open my account again and rejoin a smaller number of Facebook groups. Then I started posting again to my account and to these groups. A month or two later, my account was closed again. I tried one more time, after a few months, and the same thing happened.
I was naive in my early days using social media and quite green. I thought that social media would be a golden opportunity to promote my website and newsletter – it was free with a worldwide reach, or so I thought.
Did my experiences make me any smarter? I think so. From my participation and my research into social media practices and customs, I did learn a lot. I learned about how social media algorithums work. I learned about their advertising models and business practices.
And I learned that it is not really free. To get any kind of significant exposure, you have to buy advertising from Facebook, which in turn, will encourage them to place your content in their readers’ feeds. The more uncertain alternative is to put in hundreds or maybe thousands of hours posting, commenting and generally interacting with Facebook readers.
And even then your chances of success may ultimately boil down to how famous you were before you started.
I don’t miss Facebook. And truthfully, I was never an active social participant. That is really not my nature.
Social Media, Part 2
My experience with X was mixed. I was careful to never view, linger or post about anything political, unbelievable, outrageous or generally negative. In this way no content of this sort ever made it into my feed. I had no negative experiences. Maybe the algorithm thought I was a lost cause and never tried to tempt me with any extreme content.
This was the good part.
For a couple of years, I would post brief teasers with images and links to articles from my website or ebooks. I have provided examples below, to give you some idea of my approach.
I never really got much traction and have since given up on X.
I don’t miss X, although, like with my Facebook adventures, I did learn a lot. I learned that the same rules regarding gaining exposure apply to X as they do for Facebook.
So again, more social media failure for me, at least with respect to my limited involvement – and my unwillingness to write extreme or controversial content.
On to the main event about generosity.
Can Generosity Make You Smarter?
In my view, yes, and here’s how. A full discussion can be found in my ebook, 101+ Pathways to Generosity, a Strong Mind and More Productivity.
Coming full circle with my wandering story, here are some ideas about generosity that I posted to X. These are necessarily brief because of the X format, but they will give you a sample of the detailed discussions from my ebook.
Beware of my choppy writing, partly necessitated by the X word count limitations, and partly related to my normal tangential writing style.
1 / 101+ Generosity Works
It sharpens our cognitive skills.
Planning and executing acts of generosity require problem-solving and
critical thinking.
3 / 101+ A Generous Attitude Toward Life
strengthens our memory.
Positive experiences associated with generosity are more likely to be encoded in memory. Recalling these happy memories can improve mood and overall memory function.
5 / 101+ Generosity of Spirit means
to act with kindness
to share with others
to celebrate the success and efforts of others without envy or resentment.
Thank you Marthe Bijman for these ideas and definitions.
7 / 101+ Generosity Works
A generous attitude helped me succeed in business.
I found that the more extra things I did for my patients, such as advocacy, writing extra reports (without charging them) and testifying in court, the more our business grew.
11 / 101+ Generosity Can Be An Accelerant
To supercharge your powers.
It doesn’t always mean giving money or things to others.
More powerful is a generous attitude toward others and the world.
13 / 101+ Generosity Inspires Creativity
Generosity can act as a catalyst and accelerant.
Seth Godin says a successful creative practice needs curiosity, generosity and connection.
14 / 101+ Are You Open to Others’ Generosity?
Learn how to receive generosity from others with kindness and appreciation.
Not everyone has an ulterior motive
15 / 101+ Generosity Works for Teams
Learn from successful teams. Successful team members know how to give and receive.
This is one of the great joys of winning with a team.
16 / 101+ A Motivation Boost
Helping others can be intrinsically motivating, fueling our desire to take action and achieve goals.
Witnessing the positive impact of your generosity gives you more boost.
17 / 101+ Want to be More Resilient?
A generous attitude helps you and others.
Helping someone overcome challenges strengthens our ability to cope with adversity.
21 / 101+ Is Your Memory Getting Better or Worse?
Activities associated with generosity are more likely to be encoded in memory.
Generosity can improve mood and overall memory function.
24 / 101+ Combat stress and Anxiety
with a generous spirit and attitude toward life.
Focus on the well-being of others to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reduce stress hormones and get stuff done.
25 / 101+ Hard to Believe?
Yes, generosity improves your physical health.
Research suggests a link between generosity and improved physical health, due to reduced stress and increased social interaction.
(And, of course, brain health and physical health go hand in hand)
26 / 101+ Reduce Age-related Decline
Make your attitude and actions more generous.
Studies suggest that engaging in generous activities like volunteering can help delay cognitive decline and dementia.
Little things can make a big difference
Becoming smarter isn’t a little thing. But, little things can make a significant and meaningful difference in the lives of others.
A quote from one of my favorite people, Michelle Obama, says this well.
After her years in the White House, she would get asked about big projects she might want to take on. She responded by saying, “You don’t always have to go big”.
As she was visiting girl’s education charities, she noted that a simple kind word or connection could make a real contribution to a girl’s life.
Kindness and a generosity of spirit always work.
Until next time, let our warm hearts soar!
Michael
michael@aWarmHeart.ca
And thank you for caring that little bit extra – it really makes a big difference.
