5 Beneficial Side Effects of Good Deeds

We knew it all along: doing nice things for people makes us feel happy. It can be as simple and fast as helping that old lady across the street. Or it can be huge, like donating your car to the Kars for Kids car donation program, knowing that some child, somewhere, will benefit from this act. But isn’t it ironic that doing nice things for others makes us happy, too?

According to David R. Hamilton, PhD, that’s because doing loving acts of kindness has side effects. Not the bad kind of side effects you get from taking a new medicine that might leave you drowsy, itchy, or worse, but the good kind, the kind of side effects that are desirable. Here are five of those side effects:

1. Doing good generates happiness for the doer. For some people, this is about fulfilling a spiritual need, about digging deep within and finding the meaning and affirming who we are. But there’s also the biochemical side of being nice. When we do good deeds, levels of feel-good brain chemicals increase. These chemicals are called endogenous opioids and lead to an increase in dopamine levels. The result is a natural high that psychologists refer to as “Helper’s High.
2. ”Doing good is good for your cardiac health. That warm feeling you get when you do something nice? That feeling of warmth spurs production of the hormone oxytocin both in the brain and throughout your body. Oxytocin plays an important role in regulating the cardiovascular system by inducing the release of nitric oxide in the blood vessels. Nitric oxide helps to dilate the blood vessels and in so doing, lowers blood pressure. In spurring a mechanism to lower blood pressure, oxytocin protects the heart. That’s why some call this hormone “cardioprotective.”
3. Doing good staves off aging. In addition to its “cardioprotective” properties, oxytocin lowers heart levels of free radicals and inflammation, two major culprits involved in the cardiac aging process. Additionally, engaging in acts of kindness activates the vagus nerve, responsible in part for controlling heart rate and levels of inflammation.
4. Doing good decreases emotional distance. Nice people tend to bond with other nice people. The more we engage in acts of kindness, the closer we feel to our partners. There may very well be a genetic component to being the kind of person who does kindnesses. Long ago, a kindness extended to another could increase that person’s chances of survival. The adaptation process meant that for some people, kindness became part of the genome.
5. Doing good is contagious. When we’re nice to others, we serve as an inspiration for others to do likewise. The more kind acts we do, the more we generate. It’s the ripple-effect played out in real-time. A study performed in 2011 illustrated this concept to perfection. A 28 year-old man donated a kidney. His friends and family heard about it and many of them followed suit. The New England Journal of Medicine reported on this apparent domino effect in which 10 people became kidney recipients as a result of this one man’s act of kindness.  

12 Tips for Weathering Summer Storms

It’s hard to remember a time when there have been so many momentous storms one after the other bringing so much devastation in their midst. The good news is that people pull together and help each other at times like these—think the great coat giveaway by the car donation charity Kars For Kids after Hurricane Sandy. The bad news is that people lose their homes and sometimes their lives in these monumental weather events.

In some respects, you can’t really prepare for a storm. The theory is much different than the reality which can change the course of one’s life in the blink of an eye. At the same time, it can’t hurt to learn what we can about protecting ourselves and our loved ones, whenever the opportunity presents. You never know when a piece of information you learned from an article on the Internet or heard from someone is going to come in handy. Rather than think of this kind of information as “GIGO” (garbage in, garbage out), assume that some of it will stick in your mind and be there when you need it.

Summer vacation is about to begin and we all like to spend lots of time out of doors. But with summer comes summer storms, and with those storms comes lightning. Here are some tips to help you stay safe and out of the eye of the storm.

1.       Hearing is believing. A little known fact is that lightning can strike within 10 miles of a thunderclap. That means that if you can hear thunder, you’re within striking distance. If you can manage it, stay indoors.

2.       Get the forecast. Whether you listen to a recorded weather forecast by phone, watch the forecast on television, or follow a weather website on the Internet, always pay attention to the weather forecast. If a storm is predicted, think about canceling or perhaps postponing your plans.

3.       Have a plan. Going out? Think about where you can go find safe shelter in case of a thunderstorm.

4.       Keep a close watch. Pay attention to the weather while on outings of any kind. If you see a storm brewing, find a safe place to hang out for the duration.

5.       React to thunder. Was that a thunderclap you heard? Get thee to a building. A nice strong one with serious infrastructure. None available? Hunker down in a vehicle with a nice firm top (not a soft-top convertible, natch?).

6.       Avoid trees and other tall objects. So you’ve got the worst luck ever and you’re nowhere near shelter when the storm hits. Don’t seek shelter under a tree or other tall object. Those are just the kinds of things that lightning adores striking. Better to stay on open ground.

7.       Keep your distance from appliances. Don’t make contact with appliances or computers that are plugged into electric sockets.

8.       Stay dry. Don’t go near anything with plumbing, for instance showers, tubs, sinks, and darest we say it? Toilets.

9.       Go cordless. Mom was right. Don’t talk on corded phones during a storm.

10.   Keep away from windows and doors. They make good entry ports. ‘Nuff said.

11.   Wait awhile. Has the storm abated? Wait another half an hour before you venture out of doors, just to be sure it’s all over.

12.   When lightning strikes. If in spite of your precautions, someone gets struck by lightning, do not fear to help—touching the person carries no danger (there’s no electric current left in the body). Some lightning victims need CPR. In other cases, the lightning victim may need defibrillation. The best thing to do is to call 911 immediately. 

5WPR Signs Beyond Verbal, an Israeli Technology that Decodes Human Emotions through Raw Voice

NEW YORK, May 9, 2013 -- Beyond Verbal, the Israeli developer of a patented technology that extracts, decodes, and measure a full spectrum of human emotions from a person’s raw voice, named 5W Public Relations, one of the 25 largest independent public relations firms in the U.S, as its agency of record.

Beyond Verbal’s technology was developed over 18 years of research by physicists and neuropsychologists, who studied more than 60,000 test subjects in 26 languages. Bundled into Beyond Verbal’s software are emotional detection engines that allow devices and applications to understand individuals’ mood, attitude, and decision-making characteristics as they speak.

Beyond Verbal is licensing its technology for partnerships in the fields of consumer applications, devices, appliances, and software, to name a few. The first third-party mobile app using its API is set to launch in the coming weeks, while the company is preparing to launch a web tool where people can use the platform to analyze voices.

"5WPR is excited to launch Beyond Verbal, a company that is truly at the leading edge of a new enterprise technology industry,” said Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5W Public Relations. “5W has a myriad of experiences marketing firms from Israel’s technology and financial sectors, and particular experiences with technologies that map human reactions for more meaningful consumer experiences.  We are confident of delivering a public relations campaign that will elevate their brand to that of a global market leader.”

ABOUT 5W PUBLIC RELATIONS:

5W Public Relations (5W) is a full-service agency known for cutting edge programs that engage people with businesses, issues and ideas. With more than 90 professionals serving clients in B2C (Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, Nonprofit), B2B (Corporate Communications, Reputation Management, CSR, Sustainability Communications), Public Affairs, Crisis Communications and digital strategy, 5W brings leading businesses a resourceful, bold and results driven approach to communications. Learn more at www.5wpr.com.

Daniel Straus Caeone CEO Raises More than $1M for his Employees' Sandy Losses

After the Hurricane hit the East Coast, Daniel Straus, CEO of Careone, committed to raising money to help the staff of Careone that suffered losses from Sandy.

After all was said and done, more than $1 was raised.  What better publicity is that?

5WPR & RONN TOROSSIAN ON CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT

A client asked the other day why the bad news he had kept recurring on the first page of Google’s search, even after spending a lot of money to fight it.  It’s a common issue, and one that is hard to fight if you are not doing it the right way.  It requires a lot of writing, proper linking and posting to sites that rank as high or outrank the ones you are battling.  Then, the writing itself has to use the same spelling and wording as the phrases that carry the negative articles.

All of this takes intense and consistent writing and posting.  No small feat.  While it used to be that old news or bad news could readily disappear in time, the Internet has made that impossible.  Instead, the best we can often do is help push the bad news further down in searches.  Many PR firms today still focus on media, but of a public relations firm like 5WPR that works on media that drives the SEO properly is money today.

The CEO of 5WPR, Ronn Torossian, blogs daily, knows SEO and understands that it’s not enough to have a story written, but the stories need to be written, worded and placed in such a manner that it moves the optimization needle.

If a company’s name is misspelled in a negative article, you need to counter that with the same errors in positive pieces that outrank the ones in question.  Torossian understands that and his teams drive media that not only tell the clients’ tales, but enables the media gained to be used for higher purposes.

Your reputation is what will drive your life and career as you move through life; take care of it as you would any other valuables.  When looking for PR, use a firm that knows how best to defend and protect while also marketing your product or services to the world.

Nike Did the Right Thing by Dumping Penn State Over Sandusky Report

Nike was right when it removed Joe Paterno’s name from the child-care center named after him at their corporate headquarters.  Cars.com and Sherwin-Williams also rescinded their sponsorship.  Decent people everywhere should stand up and demand that many more follow Penn State.

The late Zionist thinker Ze’ev Jabotinsky said “Silence is Despicable”, and as Penn State was silent, the  crisis PR situation which the university faces is about as bad as it gets. The University's board admit that its leaders knowingly covered up the crimes and disgusting deeds of former football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, the child molester to prevent marring the "good name" of the school and its sports team.  Administrators, including Joe Paterno were complicit in the silence.

The report says that the powers that be at Penn State did what they did "to avoid the consequences of bad publicity." Allow kids to be molested and avoid media? Penn State's values can’t be any clearer than that. Penn State needs to remove the Joe Paterno statue immediately and send the message that they won’t honor people who are aware of child molesters and do nothing about it - regardless of what they do in sports.  They should also suspend the football program for a few years - focus on other matters instead of sports.  There's plenty of education needed at this supposed “school of higher learning.”

Penn State has to begin to show that values and decency are more important than protecting football - How many kids were molested in part because Paterno and others did not act upon their knowledge? One wonders how many will be comfortable having their children attend and be educated at an institution where university presidents, “hero” coaches, and students not only accept, but celebrate those who witness – and do nothing – about disgusting, illegal behavior.

Will alumni start to move Penn State to the bottom of their resumes?

There's not much that can be said about - or at - Penn State.  It's time for actions, as clearly the leadership of Penn State took none while Sandusky was very active.

In the world, there’s the court of law and the court of public relations – at least in the court of public opinion, the fate of Penn State is in their hands.

Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, a US PR Agency.