What happened to doing a good deed?

By Ella Dorman

The good deeds we often see are usually pre-planned, shot with a crisp iPhone or professional camera, and posted on social media, only to be met with two kinds of response: praise for doing something good, and criticism for filming it.

Realistically, we’re all naturally self-interested – it’s human nature. But we are also innately social beings, we need other people, we need to feel a part of something, we need to belong. Too often we are obsessed with having more: more clothes, more material possessions, more money, more social capital. In a period of growing political tension, heightened individualism, and excessive consumerism, maybe what we need is not more material goods, acts of kindness for the camera, or deeds carried out purely in the pursuit of our own self-interest. Instead, we should be striving to do good deeds that bring us closer to our local community, that positively impact those around us, and that ultimately, are kind.

We need to start giving more, and good deeds can help bridge the disconnect that many of us are currently feeling, give to our community, and bring about more kindness in the process.

It’s a sticky question – would you do the good deed if no one knew about it?

With the online world pulling us further and further away from each other, we need to turn our attention to the communities around us, rather than the profile pictures online.

A good deed is an easy way to start. They’re often not particularly difficult, taxing, or time consuming, it’s just the initial effort of doing it.

Donate your Christmas tree to charity. Pop round to your elderly neighbour and chat with them over a cup of tea. Pick up litter that isn’t yours. Clear out your clothes, toys, books or gifts sitting untouched, and give them to your local charity shop. Volunteer. Attend a community group and bring a sweet treat to share with others. Donate blood. Give your books to a book swap. Round up your purchase to donate to a good cause every once in a while. Offer to buy an unhoused person a hot drink.

With the festive season almost over, what if we tried extending our sense of giving into our everyday lives? Making a conscious effort to do good deeds is not only good for those around us, but for our own wellbeing too. According to the University of Oxford, the dopamine high that we get for engaging in selfless actions can help to reduce stress levels by taking your mind off your own problems.

Beyond clicks, material goods, and hyper-independence sits the very human desire to connect with others. In the pursuit of giving, sharing, and showing up for those around us, is a clearer sense of what we’re really here to do.

Photography by Alena Shekhovtsova