Beth Pratt, leader of the Save LA Cougars campaign, tells the story of mountain lion P-22 and how he inspired a campaign to build the world’s largest wildlife crossing. Plus: learn about the health benefits of the helper’s high you get when you volunteer.
Beth Pratt, leader of the Save LA Cougars campaign, tells the story of mountain lion P-22 and how he inspired a campaign to build the world’s largest wildlife crossing. Plus: learn about the health benefits of the helper’s high you get when you volunteer.
Ever Experienced A "Helper's High"? There's A Reason For That by Anna Todd
https://curiosity.com/topics/ever-experienced-a-helpers-high-theres-a-reason-for-that-curiosity
GiveDirectly: COVID-19 response https://www.givedirectly.org/covid-19/
Additional resources from Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation and leader of the #SaveLACougars Campaign:
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/building-the-worlds-largest-wildlife-crossing-to-save-p-22-w-beth-pratt-of-savelacougars-and-the-health-benefits-of-the-helpers-high
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about the real health benefits you can get from a “helper’s high” when you volunteer. Then, you’ll learn about the story of a very special mountain lion named P-22, and how he inspired a campaign to build the world’s largest wildlife crossing.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Do you get a jolt of pleasure when you find the perfect gift for someone, volunteer your time, or donate money to charity? That’s what you might call a “helper’s high,” and research suggests it comes with significant health benefits. Turns out it really might be better to give than receive.
Over the past few decades, scientists have studied the health benefits of selflessness. They’ve found that those who volunteer tend to have lower rates of depression, lower mortality rates, higher self-esteem, and greater functional ability than people who don’t volunteer. A 2005 study even found that volunteers actually experience greater benefits than the people receiving their support. Turns out, when we give to others selflessly, not expecting anything in return, we get something in return anyway: our brains release dopamine, serotonin, and other happy hormones.
What’s more, research suggests that human brains are actually hard-wired for empathy and generosity. Our brains contain mirror neurons that activate with the behavior of others. They allow us to better understand other people’s actions, intentions, and feelings, almost as if we can experience those things firsthand.
So, how do mirror neurons play into giving? Well, the more we vicariously experience the states of others, the more we’re inclined to treat them like we’d want to be treated.
So, if you want to improve your generosity, you may want to work on putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Considering the health benefits of altruism, even if you're not really the giving type, science says you should give it a shot. You’ll not only be helping someone else; you’ll be helping yourself too.
There’s a massive public-private partnership going on right now to save cougars and other wildlife. And it’s not happening out on a savannah or in a jungle — it’s happening in Los Angeles. Like, in the MIDDLE of Los Angeles. I’m talking about the “Save L.A. Cougars” campaign, and plans to create the Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing. It would be the largest wildlife crossing in the world, and today you’re gonna hear how this whole thing started. Our guest today is Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation, and leader of the #SaveLACougars Campaign. And she says this all started with a mountain lion named P-22.
[CLIP 3:36]
Beth told us that P-22 has become a major conversation changer; people are starting to come around to the idea of letting wildlife exist in urban areas — and trying to figure out how to do that in a way that’s safe for everybody. Including the animals. Unfortunately, car accidents are just the tip of the iceberg of problems for animals like P-22.
[CLIP 2:23]
Again, Beth Pratt is the California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation, and leader of the #SaveLACougars Campaign to build the Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing. Now that you’ve learned about P22’s problems, you can come back tomorrow to hear Beth talk about the solutions.
Let’s recap today’s takeaways
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CODY: Today’s first story was written by Anna Todd, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Scriptwriting was by Cody Gough and Sonja Hodgen. Curiosity Daily is produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!