On Sunday the 24th of August, I was nominated by Richard Bayton for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
On Monday the 25th of August, I was nominated again by Marianne Roman.
On Tuesday 26th of August, at approximately 11:40am, I subjected my body to previously unfath levels of incredible discomfort as 20+ litres of iced water was poured, dropped and thrown over me. Here's that video one more time.
On Monday the 25th of August, I was nominated again by Marianne Roman.
On Tuesday 26th of August, at approximately 11:40am, I subjected my body to previously unfath levels of incredible discomfort as 20+ litres of iced water was poured, dropped and thrown over me. Here's that video one more time.
Did you enjoy that? I didn't. At all. Honestly it was a horrible experience. But I've managed to raise a fair bit of money for my chosen charities, and I have a few theories as to why this particular challenge works incredibly well:
Schadenfreude
Humans love laughing at one another's misfortune, and what could be more unfortunate than being drowned in water which typically reaches temperatures more than 30℃ below the human body's core temperature? Schadenfreude, like any feel-good, laughter-inducing activity, releases dopamine into the brain, making the viewer feel better overall. In this state of elation they are more likely to be generous.
Respect
This ties in strongly with the above, but there is a difference between laughing at someone falling off a horse, and watching someone being persecuted for their beliefs. Rather a stark contrast, I know, but think of it this way: these are not random events, people (such as myself) are consciously choosing to put themselves through extreme physical discomfort and even pain in order to raise awareness of this disease and the surrounding campaign. That kind of strength of belief demands respect, and as we can see easily by looking at political systems worldwide, people are likely to support someone they respect. This means people will continue to accept the challenge.
I was going to add a third point in here, but after consideration it seemed to similar to the previous two. Also Blogger keeps refusing to save my edits and I'm getting fed up of re-writing psychosomatic theories.
Minions, if you haven't yet researched ALS (MND), then do so. It is one of millions of worthy causes out there, but most importantly it is the one cause which is currently making a serious effort to raise global awareness. Give generously, and look out for a future video related to this post.
I was going to add a third point in here, but after consideration it seemed to similar to the previous two. Also Blogger keeps refusing to save my edits and I'm getting fed up of re-writing psychosomatic theories.
Minions, if you haven't yet researched ALS (MND), then do so. It is one of millions of worthy causes out there, but most importantly it is the one cause which is currently making a serious effort to raise global awareness. Give generously, and look out for a future video related to this post.
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