Seems like decluttering is my major issue at the moment as I keep stumbling across things which inspire me to do just this.
I’ve just read an article that I found through No Impact Man about the link between Charity and Wealth. Apparently it argues that the more you give the more you receive and Brooks offers a neurological reason for this:
Psychologists and neuroscientists have identified several ways that giving makes us more effective and successful. For example, new research from the University of Oregon finds that charity stimulates parts of the brain called the caudate nucleus and the nucleus accumbens, which are associated with meeting basic needs such as food and shelter—suggesting to the researchers that our brains know that giving is good for us. Experiments have also found that people are elevated by others into positions of leadership after they are witnessed behaving charitably.
I’m not sure why the brain thinks giving is good for us. Perhaps because giving is linked to an abundance mentality and hoarding to a scarcity mentality. In any case, what this might suggest is that every time I hold onto something – because I just might need it in the future – I’m signaling to myself that I’m not safe. Whereas whenever I give something away, I’m actually signalling that I am well provided for and can now help provide for others. Maybe this is why I get such a rush from Freecycling, because it allows me to give presents to strangers.
