1 00:00:15,436 --> 00:00:24,716 Speaker 1: Pushkin. On the morning of March thirteenth, nineteen sixty four, 2 00:00:24,996 --> 00:00:27,636 Speaker 1: a murder took place in Queens, New York that shook 3 00:00:27,716 --> 00:00:31,116 Speaker 1: the entire country. The crime itself was awful, but the 4 00:00:31,156 --> 00:00:34,916 Speaker 1: behavior of bystanders who witnessed the event caused widespread revulsion 5 00:00:35,076 --> 00:00:39,076 Speaker 1: in years of national soul searching. The incident became the 6 00:00:39,116 --> 00:00:41,756 Speaker 1: impetus for setting up the nine one one emergency call 7 00:00:41,836 --> 00:00:44,876 Speaker 1: system that we have today and transformed the path of 8 00:00:44,916 --> 00:00:48,916 Speaker 1: psychological research for decades to come. I first heard the 9 00:00:48,956 --> 00:00:51,476 Speaker 1: story when I took Intro psych as a college freshman 10 00:00:51,556 --> 00:00:54,436 Speaker 1: back in the nineties. I dug out my old textbook 11 00:00:54,476 --> 00:00:57,156 Speaker 1: to see how it was described here. It is on 12 00:00:57,236 --> 00:01:00,756 Speaker 1: page five forty four of Peter Grey's Psychology, second Edition. 13 00:01:01,676 --> 00:01:04,156 Speaker 1: In a normally quiet neighborhood in New York City, a 14 00:01:04,276 --> 00:01:07,636 Speaker 1: young woman named Kitty Genevec was brutally attacked for a 15 00:01:07,716 --> 00:01:11,996 Speaker 1: period of thirty minutes outside her apartment building. Her screams 16 00:01:12,036 --> 00:01:14,596 Speaker 1: drew the attention of at least thirty eight people who 17 00:01:14,596 --> 00:01:17,796 Speaker 1: watched through their apartment windows while she was repeatedly stabbed 18 00:01:17,876 --> 00:01:21,636 Speaker 1: and finally murdered. Not one of the bystanders came to 19 00:01:21,676 --> 00:01:25,596 Speaker 1: her aid or even called the police. The incident stirred 20 00:01:25,596 --> 00:01:29,196 Speaker 1: a national outcry, have we become so inured to horror 21 00:01:29,236 --> 00:01:33,556 Speaker 1: that we simply watch it without lifting a finger? More 22 00:01:33,556 --> 00:01:36,156 Speaker 1: than twenty five years on, I still remember how shocked 23 00:01:36,156 --> 00:01:39,756 Speaker 1: I was by that paragraph. Several dozen people stood there 24 00:01:39,796 --> 00:01:43,156 Speaker 1: and watched kitty scream. How could so many people witness 25 00:01:43,236 --> 00:01:47,796 Speaker 1: something so awful and just do nothing. At the time, 26 00:01:47,916 --> 00:01:50,396 Speaker 1: psychologists were still trying to make sense of the horrors 27 00:01:50,436 --> 00:01:52,796 Speaker 1: of World War Two, and they began to think that 28 00:01:52,836 --> 00:01:55,676 Speaker 1: awful incidents weren't just the result of a small number 29 00:01:55,676 --> 00:01:59,236 Speaker 1: of uncaring people, but might instead reflect a wider and 30 00:01:59,316 --> 00:02:03,836 Speaker 1: more sinister aspect of human nature. Social psychologist John Darley 31 00:02:03,916 --> 00:02:06,676 Speaker 1: and bib Latine decided to test that out In a 32 00:02:06,756 --> 00:02:10,876 Speaker 1: now famous nineteen sixty eight study. They created an experimental emergency. 33 00:02:11,356 --> 00:02:14,076 Speaker 1: They brought college students into the lab, put them inside 34 00:02:14,076 --> 00:02:16,476 Speaker 1: a room all by themselves, and hooked them up to 35 00:02:16,476 --> 00:02:20,516 Speaker 1: a headphone intercom system. An experimenter explained that the subject 36 00:02:20,556 --> 00:02:23,276 Speaker 1: would be taking part in a conversation about college life 37 00:02:23,396 --> 00:02:27,276 Speaker 1: with either one, two, or five other anonymous subjects, all 38 00:02:27,316 --> 00:02:30,356 Speaker 1: of whom were in different rooms. The experimenter then took 39 00:02:30,356 --> 00:02:34,276 Speaker 1: off and the discussion began. But soon into the conversation, 40 00:02:34,636 --> 00:02:38,116 Speaker 1: one of the participants began having a very real sounding emergency. 41 00:02:41,996 --> 00:02:46,556 Speaker 1: He started convulsing and screaming incoherently, saying things like I'm 42 00:02:46,676 --> 00:02:49,196 Speaker 1: having a real problem right now, I'm going to die, 43 00:02:49,516 --> 00:02:56,876 Speaker 1: help seizure. Even though the emergency was staged, the subjects 44 00:02:56,916 --> 00:03:00,076 Speaker 1: believed that the stranger was in real trouble. The scientists 45 00:03:00,116 --> 00:03:02,996 Speaker 1: reported that many of the participants gasped into the microphone, 46 00:03:03,316 --> 00:03:06,396 Speaker 1: My god, what should I do? But Latine and Darley 47 00:03:06,476 --> 00:03:09,436 Speaker 1: wanted to see if the subjects responded by actively trying 48 00:03:09,476 --> 00:03:12,796 Speaker 1: to help, specifically leaving the room to alert the experimenter 49 00:03:13,156 --> 00:03:15,076 Speaker 1: or to look for the stranger who was in distress. 50 00:03:15,996 --> 00:03:17,996 Speaker 1: When subjects thought that they were the only ones to 51 00:03:17,996 --> 00:03:21,076 Speaker 1: hear the strangers fit, eighty five percent of them took action, 52 00:03:21,516 --> 00:03:23,916 Speaker 1: and they tended to do so quickly, often in less 53 00:03:23,916 --> 00:03:27,516 Speaker 1: than a minute. That's the good news, But the bad 54 00:03:27,556 --> 00:03:30,876 Speaker 1: news is that this helping behavior drops significantly when the 55 00:03:30,916 --> 00:03:33,836 Speaker 1: subjects were told that other people were also on the call. 56 00:03:34,316 --> 00:03:37,316 Speaker 1: In fact, less than a third of subjects made any 57 00:03:37,356 --> 00:03:39,596 Speaker 1: move to help when they thought that more than one 58 00:03:39,596 --> 00:03:43,156 Speaker 1: other person was listening. In I've known about these findings 59 00:03:43,156 --> 00:03:45,796 Speaker 1: since I was in undergrad, but I still find them 60 00:03:46,076 --> 00:03:50,356 Speaker 1: so shocking. Nearly seventy percent of subjects in that condition 61 00:03:50,476 --> 00:03:54,396 Speaker 1: heard someone crying out for help while having a potentially 62 00:03:54,556 --> 00:04:00,236 Speaker 1: deadly seizure, and they did nothing. This study and others 63 00:04:00,276 --> 00:04:02,716 Speaker 1: like it demonstrated just how easy it is to be 64 00:04:02,796 --> 00:04:06,436 Speaker 1: apathetic in the face of other people's pain, which is 65 00:04:06,516 --> 00:04:10,036 Speaker 1: pretty bad for our collective happiness. There are lots of 66 00:04:10,036 --> 00:04:13,076 Speaker 1: situations in which others need our help, a colleague who's 67 00:04:13,076 --> 00:04:16,076 Speaker 1: struggling at work, or a neighbor who's feeling a little lonely, 68 00:04:16,636 --> 00:04:19,556 Speaker 1: or a child who's getting bullied, like Kitty Gen and 69 00:04:19,636 --> 00:04:22,516 Speaker 1: Visi's neighbors and latin Ae and Darley's subjects. There are 70 00:04:22,556 --> 00:04:26,196 Speaker 1: times when we see this and just don't intervene. Maybe 71 00:04:26,196 --> 00:04:28,956 Speaker 1: we feel it's not our place or that someone else 72 00:04:28,956 --> 00:04:32,396 Speaker 1: will probably do it, But our inaction means that lots 73 00:04:32,396 --> 00:04:35,356 Speaker 1: of people around us are left hurt and unhappy because 74 00:04:35,396 --> 00:04:38,196 Speaker 1: even though we all know someone should probably do something, 75 00:04:38,836 --> 00:04:43,036 Speaker 1: nobody does. But our inaction also poses a second problem 76 00:04:43,076 --> 00:04:45,876 Speaker 1: for our collective happiness. The science shows that you and 77 00:04:45,916 --> 00:04:48,956 Speaker 1: I would personally be happier if we did something to 78 00:04:48,996 --> 00:04:52,356 Speaker 1: help people in need. Study after study shows that when 79 00:04:52,356 --> 00:04:54,556 Speaker 1: we do nice stuff for other people, we get a 80 00:04:54,556 --> 00:04:58,436 Speaker 1: happiness boost. Give directions to a lost stranger, you feel happier. 81 00:04:58,876 --> 00:05:02,276 Speaker 1: Comfort someone who's upset, you feel happier. Take care of 82 00:05:02,276 --> 00:05:05,876 Speaker 1: an injured person, you feel happier. But latin Ae and 83 00:05:05,916 --> 00:05:08,516 Speaker 1: Darley's work shows that there are lots of situations in 84 00:05:08,556 --> 00:05:12,316 Speaker 1: which we don't step in, especially when it seems like 85 00:05:12,356 --> 00:05:15,036 Speaker 1: the people around us aren't doing anything to help either. 86 00:05:15,956 --> 00:05:19,076 Speaker 1: Kitty Genevici's story and the research that followed has always 87 00:05:19,076 --> 00:05:22,796 Speaker 1: made me really disappointed in human nature, But new research 88 00:05:22,836 --> 00:05:26,196 Speaker 1: suggests that her notorious story of collective apathy may not 89 00:05:26,236 --> 00:05:29,756 Speaker 1: be as clear cut as the textbooks claim, which raises 90 00:05:29,796 --> 00:05:32,996 Speaker 1: an important question. Have we've been given an incorrect picture 91 00:05:32,996 --> 00:05:36,116 Speaker 1: of human nature, one that's making us less happy since 92 00:05:36,156 --> 00:05:44,556 Speaker 1: we don't help whenever the opportunity arises. Our minds are 93 00:05:44,596 --> 00:05:47,156 Speaker 1: constantly telling us what's you to be happy? But what 94 00:05:47,196 --> 00:05:49,636 Speaker 1: if our minds are wrong? What if our minds are 95 00:05:49,716 --> 00:05:52,196 Speaker 1: lying to us, leading us away from what will really 96 00:05:52,236 --> 00:05:55,356 Speaker 1: make us happy. The good news is that understanding the 97 00:05:55,396 --> 00:05:57,396 Speaker 1: science of the mind can point us all back in 98 00:05:57,436 --> 00:06:00,436 Speaker 1: the right direction. You're listening to the Happiest Lab with 99 00:06:00,516 --> 00:06:11,636 Speaker 1: doctor Laurie Sanders. We had a snow day the day 100 00:06:11,676 --> 00:06:15,596 Speaker 1: of Kennedy's inauguration, so we're all sitting at home watching nut. 101 00:06:16,076 --> 00:06:19,356 Speaker 1: This is Bill GENEVEECI. I remember sitting in front of 102 00:06:19,356 --> 00:06:21,876 Speaker 1: it and being mesmerized because, you know, as a kid 103 00:06:21,876 --> 00:06:24,596 Speaker 1: growing up, all these old guys were presidents. Now all 104 00:06:24,596 --> 00:06:28,036 Speaker 1: of a sudden we had this young, healthy guy making 105 00:06:28,076 --> 00:06:32,036 Speaker 1: this statement. Ask, not what your country can do for you, 106 00:06:32,316 --> 00:06:38,956 Speaker 1: ask what you could do for your country. That speech 107 00:06:39,076 --> 00:06:42,116 Speaker 1: resonated with Bill. He's always had a deep sense of 108 00:06:42,196 --> 00:06:45,476 Speaker 1: duty towards his fellow man. He didn't ever want to 109 00:06:45,476 --> 00:06:48,196 Speaker 1: be the sort of person who stands by and doesn't help. 110 00:06:49,356 --> 00:06:52,396 Speaker 1: When Bill graduated from high school, his classmates were busy 111 00:06:52,596 --> 00:06:55,236 Speaker 1: finding ways to avoid the draft for the Vietnam War. 112 00:06:55,956 --> 00:06:59,076 Speaker 1: But not Bill. People who know me go, well, you 113 00:06:59,156 --> 00:07:02,996 Speaker 1: got drafted right, No, No, I volunteered you did? I mean, 114 00:07:03,076 --> 00:07:06,436 Speaker 1: how could you be so stupid? As a marine in combat? 115 00:07:06,556 --> 00:07:09,836 Speaker 1: Bill quickly developed a reputation for helping anyone in need, 116 00:07:10,156 --> 00:07:12,516 Speaker 1: no matter who it was or what the risk level, 117 00:07:12,996 --> 00:07:15,516 Speaker 1: Like the time he heard of an elderly Vietnamese man 118 00:07:15,796 --> 00:07:18,836 Speaker 1: who was hurt inside a dirty cave. I said, well, 119 00:07:19,156 --> 00:07:21,756 Speaker 1: how's he doing? I don't know. We're afraid to go 120 00:07:21,796 --> 00:07:24,716 Speaker 1: in there because it's probably booby trap, So me, of 121 00:07:24,796 --> 00:07:28,316 Speaker 1: course I'm going to go in there. Another time, he 122 00:07:28,356 --> 00:07:30,516 Speaker 1: rescued a woman who had been impaled on a spiked 123 00:07:30,516 --> 00:07:33,436 Speaker 1: booby trap and helped carry her to a chopper in 124 00:07:33,556 --> 00:07:36,836 Speaker 1: order to get her to a hospital. Despite heavy enemy fire. 125 00:07:37,316 --> 00:07:40,396 Speaker 1: The helicopters always drew fire, and as we were putting 126 00:07:40,396 --> 00:07:45,036 Speaker 1: around the helicopter, you could see the holes forming a helicopter. 127 00:07:45,516 --> 00:07:48,356 Speaker 1: You might be wondering, why didn't Bill think twice before 128 00:07:48,396 --> 00:07:51,356 Speaker 1: repeatedly putting his own life in danger to come to 129 00:07:51,396 --> 00:07:54,716 Speaker 1: the aid of perfect strangers. I've grown up with this 130 00:07:54,796 --> 00:07:59,356 Speaker 1: whole philosophy, this whole thing. When it's your time, you 131 00:07:59,516 --> 00:08:02,796 Speaker 1: step up and them. With my sister's experience, it was 132 00:08:02,876 --> 00:08:06,836 Speaker 1: like visceral. It's like people didn't step up, and look 133 00:08:06,876 --> 00:08:10,476 Speaker 1: what that did. As might have guessed from the last name, 134 00:08:10,836 --> 00:08:14,276 Speaker 1: Kitty Genovesi, the young woman murdered in Queen's was related 135 00:08:14,316 --> 00:08:18,316 Speaker 1: to Bill. Kitty was Bill's older sister. Bill was only 136 00:08:18,356 --> 00:08:21,596 Speaker 1: sixteen years old when she was murdered. It's six o'clock 137 00:08:21,596 --> 00:08:23,716 Speaker 1: in the morning. I'm in bed and I hear something 138 00:08:23,796 --> 00:08:26,476 Speaker 1: going on at the front door. A policeman came to 139 00:08:26,476 --> 00:08:28,956 Speaker 1: the Genovesi house. It took a while for Bill to 140 00:08:28,996 --> 00:08:31,596 Speaker 1: fully comprehend why the cop was there. When he heard 141 00:08:31,596 --> 00:08:36,316 Speaker 1: his mother getting upset, he assumed Kitty had just gotten sick, oh, pendix, 142 00:08:36,436 --> 00:08:39,316 Speaker 1: or maybe she broke a leg or fractured her finger. 143 00:08:39,716 --> 00:08:41,916 Speaker 1: You know. So it was a while before it registered, 144 00:08:41,996 --> 00:08:46,676 Speaker 1: like what. It was just shocking. It wasn't the world 145 00:08:47,356 --> 00:08:50,916 Speaker 1: I came from. Learning that his sister had been stabbed 146 00:08:50,956 --> 00:08:55,076 Speaker 1: to death was crushing, But Bill experienced another devastating blow 147 00:08:55,276 --> 00:08:57,436 Speaker 1: when he read about the attack in the New York Times. 148 00:08:57,956 --> 00:09:01,676 Speaker 1: The article read for more than an hour, thirty eight respectable, 149 00:09:01,876 --> 00:09:05,076 Speaker 1: law abiding citizens in Queen's watched a killer stock and 150 00:09:05,116 --> 00:09:08,076 Speaker 1: stab a woman in three separate attacks in ke Gardens. 151 00:09:08,436 --> 00:09:12,396 Speaker 1: Not one person telephoned the police during the assault. Well, 152 00:09:12,396 --> 00:09:16,076 Speaker 1: I was always like, thirty eight people, I'm witnessing this thing. 153 00:09:16,156 --> 00:09:17,876 Speaker 1: I mean, you can't believe it. What is it to 154 00:09:17,876 --> 00:09:21,596 Speaker 1: pick up the phone. The pain of Kitty's death, plus 155 00:09:21,636 --> 00:09:24,996 Speaker 1: the fact that thirty eight otherwise good people allegedly allowed 156 00:09:24,996 --> 00:09:27,916 Speaker 1: it to happen was too much for Bill's family. We 157 00:09:28,076 --> 00:09:30,796 Speaker 1: all tried to just sort of forget it and put 158 00:09:30,836 --> 00:09:33,996 Speaker 1: it away, partially because our job was to defend mom. 159 00:09:34,316 --> 00:09:38,156 Speaker 1: Because Mom was in a total meltdown state. She literally, 160 00:09:38,596 --> 00:09:42,956 Speaker 1: as they're lowering the coffin, was trying to climb on top. 161 00:09:43,796 --> 00:09:47,036 Speaker 1: Soon after the funeral, Bill's mother had a debilitating stroke. 162 00:09:47,796 --> 00:09:50,796 Speaker 1: In order to help her heal, the entire Genovesi family 163 00:09:50,836 --> 00:09:54,276 Speaker 1: agreed to avoid talking about Kitty's tragedy, but in spite 164 00:09:54,316 --> 00:09:57,556 Speaker 1: of decades of silence, Bill's anger at the apathy of 165 00:09:57,556 --> 00:10:01,116 Speaker 1: those thirty eight witnesses burned on what could be worse? 166 00:10:01,196 --> 00:10:05,516 Speaker 1: I mean, it's just what could be worse than you're thinking, Wow, 167 00:10:05,676 --> 00:10:09,676 Speaker 1: I'm in trouble, maybe dying. I'm calling now. I know 168 00:10:09,836 --> 00:10:15,036 Speaker 1: people are aware. Light's going on, nobody's doing anything. My 169 00:10:15,156 --> 00:10:19,516 Speaker 1: fellow man has deserted me. What Bill didn't know was 170 00:10:19,556 --> 00:10:22,516 Speaker 1: that he himself would soon experience the terror that comes 171 00:10:22,556 --> 00:10:26,196 Speaker 1: from desperately needing a savior and not knowing if someone 172 00:10:26,276 --> 00:10:30,716 Speaker 1: will actually step up to help. One day, on patrol 173 00:10:30,716 --> 00:10:34,156 Speaker 1: in Vietnam, Bill spotted a strange bamboo steak stuck in 174 00:10:34,196 --> 00:10:37,116 Speaker 1: the mud. He decided to ask a friend what it was. 175 00:10:37,516 --> 00:10:40,756 Speaker 1: Does this look right to you? Boom? It was a 176 00:10:40,796 --> 00:10:44,916 Speaker 1: bomb and Bill was standing right beside it. You actually 177 00:10:45,076 --> 00:10:48,036 Speaker 1: do get thrown into the air and you're flying in 178 00:10:48,116 --> 00:10:52,756 Speaker 1: the air, thinking, oh, this is high. When Bill landed, 179 00:10:52,796 --> 00:10:55,716 Speaker 1: he tried to move but couldn't. Both of his legs 180 00:10:55,756 --> 00:10:58,636 Speaker 1: were badly injured and would later need to be amputated, 181 00:10:59,436 --> 00:11:01,636 Speaker 1: but at the time he wasn't even sure he'd get 182 00:11:01,636 --> 00:11:03,476 Speaker 1: the help needed to make it out with his life. 183 00:11:04,156 --> 00:11:07,036 Speaker 1: A huge firefight broke out between his platoon and the 184 00:11:07,156 --> 00:11:10,236 Speaker 1: enemy who'd just blown him up. Amidst the chaos, it 185 00:11:10,316 --> 00:11:13,436 Speaker 1: didn't look like anyone was coming to Bill's aid. Okay, 186 00:11:13,476 --> 00:11:15,876 Speaker 1: am I just going to be left here? I mean, 187 00:11:15,916 --> 00:11:18,516 Speaker 1: I really had a flashback to what I imagined the 188 00:11:18,556 --> 00:11:22,196 Speaker 1: scene was like with Kitty. No one's coming to help me. God, 189 00:11:22,236 --> 00:11:25,316 Speaker 1: I'm feeling the way she must have felt back then. 190 00:11:25,396 --> 00:11:29,396 Speaker 1: And then I'm sort of in this imagined street scene 191 00:11:29,796 --> 00:11:33,316 Speaker 1: lying next to my sister. We're like just looking at 192 00:11:33,316 --> 00:11:36,036 Speaker 1: each other. And then of course I was bleeding so 193 00:11:36,156 --> 00:11:40,756 Speaker 1: much that then I started to lose consciousness. But Bill's 194 00:11:40,756 --> 00:11:43,396 Speaker 1: story had a different ending than Kitty's. In spite of 195 00:11:43,436 --> 00:11:45,996 Speaker 1: the danger, his fellow Marines didn't leave him to die. 196 00:11:46,316 --> 00:11:48,356 Speaker 1: They put their lives on the line and rushed in 197 00:11:48,396 --> 00:11:52,516 Speaker 1: to save him. Bill looks back on his time in 198 00:11:52,596 --> 00:11:55,796 Speaker 1: Vietnam as painting a very different picture of human nature. 199 00:11:56,596 --> 00:11:58,876 Speaker 1: I mean, I was there long enough to see plenty 200 00:11:58,916 --> 00:12:02,836 Speaker 1: of brave moves by our guys and the enemy, you know, 201 00:12:02,916 --> 00:12:06,436 Speaker 1: to help their compatriots. It made me forget I was 202 00:12:06,476 --> 00:12:08,836 Speaker 1: in a war zone. It was like, this is human 203 00:12:08,876 --> 00:12:12,836 Speaker 1: to h When we get back from the break, we'll 204 00:12:12,876 --> 00:12:15,836 Speaker 1: hear how these experiences caused Bill to question whether Kitty's 205 00:12:15,836 --> 00:12:19,196 Speaker 1: neighbors could really have been so callous and apathetic that night, 206 00:12:19,836 --> 00:12:22,916 Speaker 1: and whether the textbook story of her murder was really true. 207 00:12:23,276 --> 00:12:25,876 Speaker 1: And we'll see that what he learned has big consequences 208 00:12:25,996 --> 00:12:28,076 Speaker 1: for the happiness that all of us could be getting 209 00:12:28,236 --> 00:12:31,756 Speaker 1: by doing more to help others. The Happiness Lab will 210 00:12:31,796 --> 00:12:40,316 Speaker 1: be right back thirty eight eyewitnesses for half an hour 211 00:12:40,436 --> 00:12:44,636 Speaker 1: or watching this, how could that be? After his sister's murder, 212 00:12:44,836 --> 00:12:48,636 Speaker 1: Bill GENEVESI couldn't stop going over the details, despite the 213 00:12:48,676 --> 00:12:50,916 Speaker 1: fact that Kitty's name wasn't even to be said in 214 00:12:50,956 --> 00:12:54,756 Speaker 1: the family home. Bill initially believed what the papers reported 215 00:12:55,196 --> 00:12:57,716 Speaker 1: the same story that I and so many other students 216 00:12:57,796 --> 00:13:00,356 Speaker 1: learn in psych one oh one that thirty eight people 217 00:13:00,396 --> 00:13:03,116 Speaker 1: stood by and watched as Kitty was stabbed, and that 218 00:13:03,236 --> 00:13:06,396 Speaker 1: no one lifted a finger. But that story simply didn't 219 00:13:06,436 --> 00:13:09,836 Speaker 1: jibe with what Bill saw firsthand in Vietnam, that people 220 00:13:09,996 --> 00:13:12,396 Speaker 1: are willing to help those around them, and that they 221 00:13:12,396 --> 00:13:15,796 Speaker 1: often take great joy from doing so. The mismatch between 222 00:13:15,876 --> 00:13:18,316 Speaker 1: Kitty's story and what Bill knew to be true about 223 00:13:18,396 --> 00:13:23,796 Speaker 1: human kindness bothered him for decades, and my natural instinct 224 00:13:23,836 --> 00:13:26,636 Speaker 1: of question, question, question, question, I got to get the 225 00:13:26,676 --> 00:13:29,676 Speaker 1: bottom of this as best I can. After Bill's parents 226 00:13:29,676 --> 00:13:32,316 Speaker 1: passed away, he decided to get to the bottom of things. 227 00:13:32,676 --> 00:13:35,516 Speaker 1: He teamed up with a film crew to reopen Kitty's case. 228 00:13:35,876 --> 00:13:38,796 Speaker 1: Their movie, called The Witness follows Bill tracking down the 229 00:13:38,836 --> 00:13:42,516 Speaker 1: bystanders who allegedly saw Kitty get murdered and asking for 230 00:13:42,556 --> 00:13:45,836 Speaker 1: their version of the events. It was curious to me 231 00:13:46,116 --> 00:13:50,036 Speaker 1: how there were all these discrepancies, But wasn't thirty eight 232 00:13:50,236 --> 00:13:54,276 Speaker 1: witnesses watching for thirty minutes. Many of the people told 233 00:13:54,356 --> 00:13:57,036 Speaker 1: Bill a very different version of what happened that night. 234 00:13:57,556 --> 00:14:00,436 Speaker 1: Some alleged bystanders said that they told police they saw 235 00:14:00,476 --> 00:14:03,196 Speaker 1: and heard nothing, and yet they were still listed in 236 00:14:03,196 --> 00:14:06,476 Speaker 1: the Times article as one of those thirty eight eyewitnesses. 237 00:14:06,996 --> 00:14:10,396 Speaker 1: Others disputed having watched the attack at all. They recalled 238 00:14:10,436 --> 00:14:13,876 Speaker 1: hearing some screams, but said they couldn't actually see anything 239 00:14:13,916 --> 00:14:17,116 Speaker 1: when they looked out their apartment windows. Another big claim 240 00:14:17,116 --> 00:14:18,996 Speaker 1: from my psych text book was that none of the 241 00:14:19,036 --> 00:14:22,556 Speaker 1: neighbors called the police during the attack. Many told Bill 242 00:14:22,716 --> 00:14:26,156 Speaker 1: that actually they did. Yes, I got on the phone 243 00:14:26,156 --> 00:14:28,116 Speaker 1: and called the police. You got on the phone and 244 00:14:28,156 --> 00:14:30,796 Speaker 1: you called the police. Yes, of course, And they said, oh, 245 00:14:30,836 --> 00:14:34,116 Speaker 1: we already got that call, even though the police logs 246 00:14:34,116 --> 00:14:37,356 Speaker 1: from that night didn't reflect it. Bill thinks his interviewees 247 00:14:37,476 --> 00:14:40,436 Speaker 1: were telling the truth. The best I can make out 248 00:14:40,716 --> 00:14:43,356 Speaker 1: was some people did pick up the phone and the 249 00:14:43,396 --> 00:14:47,756 Speaker 1: police weren't being responsive. But the final error in the 250 00:14:47,796 --> 00:14:50,116 Speaker 1: New York Times report is one that could have saved 251 00:14:50,156 --> 00:14:52,676 Speaker 1: Bill and his family a lot of grief over the years, 252 00:14:53,316 --> 00:14:56,476 Speaker 1: the idea that Kitty bled to death all alone. Bill 253 00:14:56,556 --> 00:15:00,276 Speaker 1: interviewed one of Kitty's closest friends, Sophia Ferrar, who lived nearby. 254 00:15:00,636 --> 00:15:02,836 Speaker 1: Sophia told him that she'd woken up when she heard 255 00:15:02,876 --> 00:15:05,676 Speaker 1: someone screaming, but couldn't see anything when she looked out 256 00:15:05,716 --> 00:15:08,956 Speaker 1: the window, so she went back to bed. Twenty minutes later, 257 00:15:09,156 --> 00:15:11,356 Speaker 1: a neighbor rang to say that Kitty was downstairs in 258 00:15:11,396 --> 00:15:14,436 Speaker 1: the hallway hurt, so Sophia rushed to check on her friend. 259 00:15:15,156 --> 00:15:18,556 Speaker 1: When Sophia saw Kitty bleeding and badly injured, she stayed 260 00:15:18,556 --> 00:15:21,436 Speaker 1: with her and even held her until the ambulances arrived. 261 00:15:21,916 --> 00:15:26,316 Speaker 1: It would have been hugely helpful to my parents to 262 00:15:26,396 --> 00:15:29,916 Speaker 1: know that a close friend the kitties was there, rather 263 00:15:29,996 --> 00:15:34,756 Speaker 1: than she was completely alone from first stab to last breath. 264 00:15:36,556 --> 00:15:39,876 Speaker 1: I wasn't the only budding psychologist who was deeply disturbed 265 00:15:39,876 --> 00:15:43,316 Speaker 1: to learn about Kitty's story. Boy, it's just heartbreaking. I mean, 266 00:15:43,396 --> 00:15:47,236 Speaker 1: surely somebody could have done something to step in and 267 00:15:47,276 --> 00:15:49,996 Speaker 1: help her, and I think it contributes to a real 268 00:15:50,436 --> 00:15:54,116 Speaker 1: unease and a sense of frustration and dissatisfaction with the 269 00:15:54,196 --> 00:15:57,356 Speaker 1: human race. This is Ken Brown of the Tippy College 270 00:15:57,356 --> 00:16:00,276 Speaker 1: of Business at the University of Iowa. Ken psych one 271 00:16:00,316 --> 00:16:02,636 Speaker 1: on one course taught him the very same story of 272 00:16:02,676 --> 00:16:06,396 Speaker 1: bystander apathy as minded and the story never sat well 273 00:16:06,436 --> 00:16:08,676 Speaker 1: with him. It just didn't seem to match his real 274 00:16:08,716 --> 00:16:12,556 Speaker 1: life experience. Helping behavior happens every day on every street 275 00:16:12,556 --> 00:16:16,596 Speaker 1: corner in the world, somebody is doing something else, small 276 00:16:16,596 --> 00:16:19,556 Speaker 1: and positive to help other people. So when Ken was 277 00:16:19,596 --> 00:16:22,316 Speaker 1: asked to do a TEDx talk, he decided to revisit 278 00:16:22,436 --> 00:16:25,596 Speaker 1: Kitty's Awful tale. As he dug into new academic research, 279 00:16:25,956 --> 00:16:28,356 Speaker 1: he discovered that Bill wasn't the only one to find 280 00:16:28,436 --> 00:16:32,476 Speaker 1: discrepancies in the textbook version of Kitty's story. The psychologist 281 00:16:32,556 --> 00:16:35,036 Speaker 1: Rachel Manning and her colleagues published an article in two 282 00:16:35,076 --> 00:16:37,356 Speaker 1: thousand and eight which did a deep dive into the 283 00:16:37,476 --> 00:16:40,476 Speaker 1: archival research on her murder. Looking back at the original 284 00:16:40,556 --> 00:16:44,916 Speaker 1: legal documents and even conversations with local historians, and their 285 00:16:44,916 --> 00:16:48,676 Speaker 1: formal investigation found exactly what Bill did. Most people who 286 00:16:48,716 --> 00:16:51,916 Speaker 1: were listed as witnesses didn't see anything, and those that 287 00:16:51,996 --> 00:16:54,956 Speaker 1: did hear something found ways to try to help. The 288 00:16:54,996 --> 00:16:57,956 Speaker 1: paper concluded that there's simply no evidence for the claim 289 00:16:58,036 --> 00:17:01,636 Speaker 1: that thirty eight eyewitnesses watched Kitty get murdered and did nothing. 290 00:17:02,196 --> 00:17:04,876 Speaker 1: There's certainly a lot more that says that there were 291 00:17:04,916 --> 00:17:08,436 Speaker 1: good people trying to help that night, as opposed to 292 00:17:08,596 --> 00:17:13,396 Speaker 1: a cruel city that stood silently as Kitty gin Abc 293 00:17:13,596 --> 00:17:17,596 Speaker 1: was murdered. But that paper got Ken wondering If Kitty's 294 00:17:17,636 --> 00:17:20,756 Speaker 1: story didn't play out like the textbook suggest then what 295 00:17:20,836 --> 00:17:24,796 Speaker 1: about the scientific findings that followed after her death. The 296 00:17:24,836 --> 00:17:28,756 Speaker 1: original studies were really only studying one particular type of situation, 297 00:17:28,956 --> 00:17:32,156 Speaker 1: and that's a very strong situation in which an individual 298 00:17:32,196 --> 00:17:36,316 Speaker 1: has been instructed to be passive. Let's think back to 299 00:17:36,356 --> 00:17:38,716 Speaker 1: that Latinee and Darley study I told you about earlier. 300 00:17:39,356 --> 00:17:42,916 Speaker 1: Unlike the witnesses in Kitty's case, Latinee and Darley's subjects 301 00:17:43,036 --> 00:17:45,676 Speaker 1: weren't just passively doing their own thing when a random 302 00:17:45,716 --> 00:17:49,476 Speaker 1: emergency happened. The subjects in their study knew they were 303 00:17:49,516 --> 00:17:52,916 Speaker 1: taking part in an experiment, and a scary looking experimenter 304 00:17:53,076 --> 00:17:56,156 Speaker 1: had just told them to do something very specific. Sit 305 00:17:56,236 --> 00:17:58,836 Speaker 1: in this room and put your headphones on. Listen, do 306 00:17:58,916 --> 00:18:01,716 Speaker 1: these things. I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Don't leave. 307 00:18:02,156 --> 00:18:05,516 Speaker 1: Participants may have really wanted to help that stranger in distress, 308 00:18:06,116 --> 00:18:08,916 Speaker 1: but the instructions they were given by the experimenter could 309 00:18:08,916 --> 00:18:11,796 Speaker 1: have dissuaded them. They told me not to do anything. 310 00:18:11,836 --> 00:18:13,596 Speaker 1: They told me to sit here and do my job. 311 00:18:14,276 --> 00:18:16,556 Speaker 1: That pressure was bad enough for subjects who thought they 312 00:18:16,556 --> 00:18:19,556 Speaker 1: were the only person hearing the emergency, but subjects who 313 00:18:19,556 --> 00:18:21,636 Speaker 1: thought they were listening in with a larger group got 314 00:18:21,676 --> 00:18:23,996 Speaker 1: an extra signal that stepping in was the wrong move. 315 00:18:24,556 --> 00:18:27,276 Speaker 1: They could hear that none of the other subjects seemed 316 00:18:27,316 --> 00:18:31,316 Speaker 1: to be taking action either. Darle In Latina's nineteen sixty 317 00:18:31,316 --> 00:18:33,756 Speaker 1: eight study is the one that appears in all the textbooks, 318 00:18:34,356 --> 00:18:37,356 Speaker 1: but it wasn't the only experiment to explore the conditions 319 00:18:37,396 --> 00:18:40,276 Speaker 1: under which people decide to help. There were a bunch 320 00:18:40,276 --> 00:18:42,996 Speaker 1: of less famous studies that tended to give subjects a 321 00:18:42,996 --> 00:18:46,636 Speaker 1: bit more independence on how to react. Hey, pay attention 322 00:18:46,676 --> 00:18:49,636 Speaker 1: and if there's a problem, let me know. That's an 323 00:18:49,676 --> 00:18:53,156 Speaker 1: active instruction. And what they found is when you've been 324 00:18:53,196 --> 00:18:57,676 Speaker 1: instructed to be active, you're actually more likely to help 325 00:18:57,916 --> 00:19:00,356 Speaker 1: the more people that are present. It turns out that 326 00:19:00,476 --> 00:19:04,996 Speaker 1: simply telling subjects it's okay to help completely reverses Latinae 327 00:19:04,996 --> 00:19:09,556 Speaker 1: and Darley's original findings. Diffusion of responsibility completely leg goes 328 00:19:09,556 --> 00:19:12,276 Speaker 1: out the window as soon as people think it's okay 329 00:19:12,276 --> 00:19:16,156 Speaker 1: to do something kind for another person. But these results 330 00:19:16,236 --> 00:19:19,956 Speaker 1: raise a different question. What's the thing that sometimes does 331 00:19:19,996 --> 00:19:24,676 Speaker 1: stop good people from helping out? The real operating mechanism 332 00:19:24,716 --> 00:19:28,636 Speaker 1: here is uncertainty. What's the right thing for me to do? 333 00:19:28,956 --> 00:19:32,996 Speaker 1: What does society expect of me? What will happen if 334 00:19:33,036 --> 00:19:37,316 Speaker 1: I step forward? Ken has seen study after study in 335 00:19:37,356 --> 00:19:40,676 Speaker 1: which participants were totally willing to help, even sometimes at 336 00:19:40,676 --> 00:19:43,516 Speaker 1: real personal cost, as long as it was crystal clear 337 00:19:43,556 --> 00:19:46,196 Speaker 1: that helping was something they were supposed to do. And 338 00:19:46,236 --> 00:19:48,756 Speaker 1: if you can reduce the uncertainty and make it clear 339 00:19:48,796 --> 00:19:52,836 Speaker 1: that helping behavior is expected, it's normative, it is what 340 00:19:53,076 --> 00:19:56,436 Speaker 1: good people would do and should do, then you're going 341 00:19:56,476 --> 00:19:59,156 Speaker 1: to see a whole lot more helping behavior. Ken saw 342 00:19:59,236 --> 00:20:02,596 Speaker 1: how uncertainty can affect our tendency to help firsthand. While 343 00:20:02,596 --> 00:20:05,396 Speaker 1: waiting at an airport departure gate. The guy beside me. 344 00:20:05,676 --> 00:20:09,876 Speaker 1: He looked rough, unshaven, uncapped, a big dude, and he 345 00:20:09,996 --> 00:20:12,796 Speaker 1: was sleeping when we started boarding. You know, I sat 346 00:20:12,836 --> 00:20:14,676 Speaker 1: there and wondering, like, should I wake this guy up? 347 00:20:15,036 --> 00:20:17,396 Speaker 1: Kenn went back and forth on what to do. He 348 00:20:17,436 --> 00:20:19,596 Speaker 1: didn't want the man to miss his flight, but he 349 00:20:19,636 --> 00:20:21,836 Speaker 1: wasn't really sure the guy was even on his flight. 350 00:20:22,316 --> 00:20:24,796 Speaker 1: Maybe he'd be pissed if Ken woke him up. I 351 00:20:24,876 --> 00:20:29,156 Speaker 1: was uncertain if nudging him awake would be met with 352 00:20:29,196 --> 00:20:31,756 Speaker 1: gratitude or anger. You know that he might yell at 353 00:20:31,756 --> 00:20:34,836 Speaker 1: me or throttle me. As Ken thought back to all 354 00:20:34,836 --> 00:20:37,596 Speaker 1: the research he'd been reading, he decided to take action 355 00:20:37,756 --> 00:20:39,916 Speaker 1: and wake the guy up. I nudge him a couple 356 00:20:39,916 --> 00:20:42,436 Speaker 1: of times, and he sort of mumbled awake, and I said, 357 00:20:42,476 --> 00:20:44,676 Speaker 1: you know, are you going to whatever our flight was? 358 00:20:44,716 --> 00:20:46,036 Speaker 1: And he said yeah, And I said, well, we're on 359 00:20:46,116 --> 00:20:48,916 Speaker 1: last boarding. And I was still kind of nervous. I mean, 360 00:20:48,916 --> 00:20:51,796 Speaker 1: he seemed nice at first, but then he told me 361 00:20:51,876 --> 00:20:55,196 Speaker 1: his story. The man was a pastor, he'd spent the 362 00:20:55,276 --> 00:20:57,756 Speaker 1: last week on a spiritual retreat and had gotten very 363 00:20:57,756 --> 00:21:01,156 Speaker 1: little sleep. He was incredibly grateful. He just ended up 364 00:21:01,196 --> 00:21:03,676 Speaker 1: being one of the nicest people I've ever met in 365 00:21:03,716 --> 00:21:06,956 Speaker 1: my life. If I'm uncertain about whether somebody needs help, 366 00:21:07,196 --> 00:21:10,556 Speaker 1: I just remember that situation. Remember it may not always 367 00:21:10,556 --> 00:21:13,356 Speaker 1: resolve itself positively, but I can always ask the question. 368 00:21:13,636 --> 00:21:17,316 Speaker 1: I can always say, hey, I've noticed that you're struggling 369 00:21:17,396 --> 00:21:19,116 Speaker 1: or you look hurt. Is there anything I can do 370 00:21:19,156 --> 00:21:23,196 Speaker 1: to help you? After talking to Ken, I realize that 371 00:21:23,236 --> 00:21:25,996 Speaker 1: people simply aren't as indifferent to the plight of strangers 372 00:21:26,116 --> 00:21:29,916 Speaker 1: as my psyche text book claimed, and Ken's uncertainty interpretation 373 00:21:30,076 --> 00:21:33,716 Speaker 1: suggests an exciting possibility. If we can find ways to 374 00:21:33,756 --> 00:21:36,916 Speaker 1: reduce people's uncertainty about helping, if we can make it 375 00:21:37,076 --> 00:21:39,996 Speaker 1: normative to do nice stuff for other people, then we 376 00:21:40,036 --> 00:21:42,756 Speaker 1: may be able to increase the kindness we see in society. 377 00:21:43,516 --> 00:21:46,876 Speaker 1: And more kindness in society means more happiness for everybody. 378 00:21:47,476 --> 00:21:49,796 Speaker 1: The science shows that every time we take action to 379 00:21:49,796 --> 00:21:52,756 Speaker 1: help another person, whether with a huge act like saving 380 00:21:52,796 --> 00:21:56,116 Speaker 1: someone's life or with something tiny like donating five bucks 381 00:21:56,116 --> 00:21:59,636 Speaker 1: to charity, that kindness winds up giving us a happiness boost. 382 00:22:00,236 --> 00:22:02,676 Speaker 1: So finding ways to make kindness of the norm would 383 00:22:02,716 --> 00:22:04,596 Speaker 1: be a quick way to make us all feel better, 384 00:22:05,236 --> 00:22:07,636 Speaker 1: and it would come with the added benefit of making 385 00:22:07,676 --> 00:22:12,196 Speaker 1: society a little bit more passionate. But that raises a question, 386 00:22:12,716 --> 00:22:16,476 Speaker 1: can we actually make kindness the norm? I'll tell you 387 00:22:16,516 --> 00:22:29,396 Speaker 1: more when the Happiness Lab returns in a moment. We 388 00:22:29,396 --> 00:22:33,276 Speaker 1: were so frustrated as young people with the way that 389 00:22:33,316 --> 00:22:36,716 Speaker 1: our school administration had handled it. When Hannah Mange was 390 00:22:36,756 --> 00:22:39,036 Speaker 1: in tenth grade, a student at her high school died 391 00:22:39,076 --> 00:22:42,436 Speaker 1: by suicide. She and her fellow students were devastated not 392 00:22:42,516 --> 00:22:44,676 Speaker 1: only by their peer's death, but also by the fact 393 00:22:44,716 --> 00:22:47,396 Speaker 1: that Hannah school did a little to acknowledge the tragedy 394 00:22:47,516 --> 00:22:50,396 Speaker 1: or the impact it had on other students. Hannah felt 395 00:22:50,476 --> 00:22:54,196 Speaker 1: like no one was doing anything to help. So we 396 00:22:54,676 --> 00:22:57,996 Speaker 1: created our own memorial. We created our own space to process. 397 00:22:57,996 --> 00:23:02,756 Speaker 1: We rented out our childhood park, and we had just 398 00:23:02,876 --> 00:23:05,876 Speaker 1: created a space for us to commemorate our peer who 399 00:23:05,876 --> 00:23:09,516 Speaker 1: had lost their life. The experience had a profound impact 400 00:23:09,556 --> 00:23:12,276 Speaker 1: on Hannah. She even got to speak about the importance 401 00:23:12,276 --> 00:23:14,876 Speaker 1: of teen stepping up to help others at the White House. 402 00:23:15,636 --> 00:23:20,916 Speaker 1: I saw that kindness was necessary. It wasn't just this soft, 403 00:23:21,116 --> 00:23:24,036 Speaker 1: nice thing, but rather it was like this vital, life 404 00:23:24,036 --> 00:23:28,156 Speaker 1: saving power. After she spoke at the White House, Hannah 405 00:23:28,236 --> 00:23:30,756 Speaker 1: was approached by the director of a foundation focused on 406 00:23:30,796 --> 00:23:33,636 Speaker 1: teen mental health, whose goal is to promote kindness and 407 00:23:33,796 --> 00:23:36,836 Speaker 1: the power of helping. She is one of the most 408 00:23:37,476 --> 00:23:42,916 Speaker 1: influential forces of our time today. Born This Way Foundation 409 00:23:43,076 --> 00:23:45,556 Speaker 1: is the passion project of one of my favorite pop 410 00:23:45,596 --> 00:23:52,316 Speaker 1: stars ladies and gentlemen, Lady Gaga. What I would like 411 00:23:52,356 --> 00:23:56,476 Speaker 1: to say is that it's surprising how many people really 412 00:23:56,516 --> 00:24:00,396 Speaker 1: want to bring human kind together to do great things. 413 00:24:00,876 --> 00:24:03,676 Speaker 1: This might be one of the best days of my life. 414 00:24:08,596 --> 00:24:11,996 Speaker 1: Dagas started Born This Way in collaboration where their co founder, 415 00:24:12,156 --> 00:24:15,556 Speaker 1: Cynthia Germinata. Of course, you know, I don't think she 416 00:24:15,556 --> 00:24:18,836 Speaker 1: could breathe without her music, but this is her real 417 00:24:18,876 --> 00:24:22,476 Speaker 1: purpose in life. In addition to being the foundation's co founder, 418 00:24:22,636 --> 00:24:26,156 Speaker 1: Cynthia is also Lady Gaga's mother, or, in the words 419 00:24:26,196 --> 00:24:30,556 Speaker 1: of my favorite Gaga song, her Mama, Mama. People talk 420 00:24:30,596 --> 00:24:33,396 Speaker 1: about their children being different, and I like to say 421 00:24:33,396 --> 00:24:36,356 Speaker 1: that she was unique growing up, and you know, those 422 00:24:36,476 --> 00:24:41,076 Speaker 1: qualities weren't always really appreciated by her peers. Gaga's uniqueness 423 00:24:41,116 --> 00:24:43,196 Speaker 1: prompted some of the other teams at her school to 424 00:24:43,276 --> 00:24:46,796 Speaker 1: be incredibly cruel. Some of her peers started a Facebook 425 00:24:46,836 --> 00:24:50,996 Speaker 1: page called Stephanie Germinata will Never be Famous. And you 426 00:24:51,036 --> 00:24:53,436 Speaker 1: know they did this because they could see how committed 427 00:24:53,476 --> 00:24:55,796 Speaker 1: she was to her music. This is all she thought about, 428 00:24:55,876 --> 00:24:58,396 Speaker 1: this is all that she did, and you know, the 429 00:24:58,436 --> 00:25:03,796 Speaker 1: bullying and the meanness just continued. She started to feel humiliated, isolated, 430 00:25:04,156 --> 00:25:08,636 Speaker 1: excluded from her peers, and as a result, she started 431 00:25:08,676 --> 00:25:12,036 Speaker 1: to question her self worth and her value and it 432 00:25:12,436 --> 00:25:15,956 Speaker 1: just shattered what was a very very confident young woman. 433 00:25:16,556 --> 00:25:19,516 Speaker 1: The stress caused Stephanie to develop anxiety and depression as 434 00:25:19,516 --> 00:25:22,636 Speaker 1: a middle schooler two mental health issues that she's publicly 435 00:25:22,636 --> 00:25:25,996 Speaker 1: struggled with ever since. But Stephanie's pain came not just 436 00:25:26,036 --> 00:25:28,516 Speaker 1: from the bullying itself, but from the fact that so 437 00:25:28,556 --> 00:25:31,396 Speaker 1: many other students saw what was going on and didn't 438 00:25:31,396 --> 00:25:34,316 Speaker 1: step into help. I think the most difficult thing for 439 00:25:34,396 --> 00:25:38,556 Speaker 1: her there was just not having anybody to rely on. Now, 440 00:25:38,596 --> 00:25:41,316 Speaker 1: over a decade later, Stephanie wants to make sure that 441 00:25:41,436 --> 00:25:43,996 Speaker 1: kids today don't have to go through the callousness that 442 00:25:44,116 --> 00:25:47,596 Speaker 1: she herself experienced. And that's where we come in, and 443 00:25:47,796 --> 00:25:51,156 Speaker 1: we try to understand what young people need, fill those 444 00:25:51,316 --> 00:25:54,916 Speaker 1: gaps for them and equip them with resources. And at 445 00:25:54,956 --> 00:25:58,676 Speaker 1: the heart of that is kindness. We're doing many things 446 00:25:59,196 --> 00:26:02,436 Speaker 1: to show that kindness is cool. The foundation's goal is 447 00:26:02,476 --> 00:26:04,876 Speaker 1: to help teams step in when they see others in need. 448 00:26:05,516 --> 00:26:08,796 Speaker 1: One campaign involves getting teams to intervene as a bystander 449 00:26:08,836 --> 00:26:12,236 Speaker 1: one of their peers is being bullied. Another has people 450 00:26:12,236 --> 00:26:14,876 Speaker 1: pledging to do one random act of kindness every day 451 00:26:14,996 --> 00:26:18,756 Speaker 1: for twenty one days. Since its launch in I Guess 452 00:26:18,876 --> 00:26:23,196 Speaker 1: twenty eighteen, now we've recruited over seven million participants, with 453 00:26:23,316 --> 00:26:26,516 Speaker 1: over one hundred and sixty million pledged acts of kindness 454 00:26:26,876 --> 00:26:29,876 Speaker 1: With catchy programs and a charismatic star like Lady Gaga 455 00:26:29,876 --> 00:26:33,276 Speaker 1: at the Helm, the Foundation is making Helping go viral. 456 00:26:33,756 --> 00:26:36,276 Speaker 1: They're getting bystanders all over the world to think of 457 00:26:36,316 --> 00:26:38,516 Speaker 1: stepping in to help someone in need as not only 458 00:26:38,596 --> 00:26:42,636 Speaker 1: cool but also normative. And as we know from the science, 459 00:26:42,836 --> 00:26:45,396 Speaker 1: bystanders are way more willing to step in and help 460 00:26:45,756 --> 00:26:48,876 Speaker 1: when they think that's the expected behavior. And that's where 461 00:26:48,876 --> 00:26:51,356 Speaker 1: interns like Hannah mang Get come in. Recruited at the 462 00:26:51,356 --> 00:26:54,196 Speaker 1: White House, Hannah had been tasked with collecting stories of 463 00:26:54,276 --> 00:26:58,316 Speaker 1: kindness and bystander intervention to publicly share on the Foundation's website, 464 00:26:58,476 --> 00:27:01,396 Speaker 1: with the goal of inspiring even more positive interventions in 465 00:27:01,436 --> 00:27:04,636 Speaker 1: the future. One of her biggest assignments was due just 466 00:27:04,796 --> 00:27:07,596 Speaker 1: after a family vacation to California, but the fun of 467 00:27:07,636 --> 00:27:10,236 Speaker 1: that trip had come to an abrupt when Hannah's brother 468 00:27:10,276 --> 00:27:13,276 Speaker 1: became ill and had to stay behind in a hospital. Unexpectedly, 469 00:27:13,556 --> 00:27:15,756 Speaker 1: Hannah's family was forced to take a red eye flight 470 00:27:15,796 --> 00:27:18,356 Speaker 1: home to regroup and work out what to do next 471 00:27:18,516 --> 00:27:20,956 Speaker 1: to help her brother. Like I was supposed to have 472 00:27:20,956 --> 00:27:23,316 Speaker 1: found kindness in the world and written about it, but 473 00:27:23,396 --> 00:27:25,596 Speaker 1: things were just so stressful that. My plan was to 474 00:27:25,636 --> 00:27:28,316 Speaker 1: text the channel kindness folks and say sorry, like I'm 475 00:27:28,356 --> 00:27:30,716 Speaker 1: not really seeing kindness in the world right now. But 476 00:27:30,916 --> 00:27:33,636 Speaker 1: we get off our flight and we're walking towards baggage 477 00:27:33,636 --> 00:27:36,236 Speaker 1: claim and it's like a completely barren airport and we 478 00:27:36,276 --> 00:27:39,596 Speaker 1: see a fellow passenger from our flight completely collapse and 479 00:27:39,756 --> 00:27:42,836 Speaker 1: fall to the ground. Hannah's parents, who were both doctors, 480 00:27:42,996 --> 00:27:45,436 Speaker 1: rushed over to help. They realized that the man had 481 00:27:45,436 --> 00:27:48,716 Speaker 1: gone into a diabetic shock and desperately needed to increase 482 00:27:48,716 --> 00:27:51,276 Speaker 1: his blood sugar. But the thing was, nobody had any 483 00:27:51,436 --> 00:27:54,316 Speaker 1: anything to eat. Everything was closed. And then we hear 484 00:27:54,436 --> 00:27:57,796 Speaker 1: this like small but powerful voice behind us who says, 485 00:27:57,876 --> 00:28:00,876 Speaker 1: I think I have a Snickers in my launchabole. That 486 00:28:00,996 --> 00:28:03,996 Speaker 1: voice came from Mecca, a nine year old boy who 487 00:28:04,076 --> 00:28:06,956 Speaker 1: taken the cross country flight all by himself. But when 488 00:28:06,956 --> 00:28:09,516 Speaker 1: he saw people rushing to help the collapse me he 489 00:28:09,596 --> 00:28:12,116 Speaker 1: wanted to help to so he shared the candy bar 490 00:28:12,196 --> 00:28:14,276 Speaker 1: he'd been given by his grandma to get him through 491 00:28:14,276 --> 00:28:17,996 Speaker 1: his first solo trip. In the end, Mecca's generous action 492 00:28:18,276 --> 00:28:21,756 Speaker 1: saved the man's life. It was just such a beautiful night, 493 00:28:21,836 --> 00:28:23,636 Speaker 1: I think for all of us, and it was just 494 00:28:23,716 --> 00:28:26,436 Speaker 1: such a symbol of like Mecca was so anxious, my 495 00:28:26,516 --> 00:28:29,196 Speaker 1: family was so anxious, but yet like in this moment 496 00:28:29,236 --> 00:28:31,476 Speaker 1: when he saw someone in need, everyone was able to 497 00:28:31,516 --> 00:28:35,156 Speaker 1: put something aside and help this fellow passenger of ours. 498 00:28:35,716 --> 00:28:38,596 Speaker 1: Hannah wrote up the story of Successful by Standard Intervention 499 00:28:38,876 --> 00:28:41,716 Speaker 1: not just for the Foundation's website, but also for a 500 00:28:41,796 --> 00:28:46,316 Speaker 1: new book entitled Channel Kindness, Stories of Kindness and Community 501 00:28:46,796 --> 00:28:48,836 Speaker 1: that she had a chance to co author not only 502 00:28:48,876 --> 00:28:52,556 Speaker 1: with other student reporters, but also with Lady Gaga herself. 503 00:28:52,996 --> 00:28:55,316 Speaker 1: Something we often say at the Foundation is that kindness 504 00:28:55,356 --> 00:28:57,756 Speaker 1: is contagious, and I think that couldn't be more true, 505 00:28:57,796 --> 00:29:00,436 Speaker 1: even as someone who was there. When I sat down 506 00:29:00,516 --> 00:29:02,956 Speaker 1: and reread that story for the first time in the book, 507 00:29:03,356 --> 00:29:06,356 Speaker 1: I was more hopeful. I felt, you know, and urged 508 00:29:06,436 --> 00:29:08,836 Speaker 1: to be kind of I think that there's so much 509 00:29:09,116 --> 00:29:14,436 Speaker 1: hour and just being reminded of kindness. Hannah is right here, 510 00:29:14,756 --> 00:29:18,196 Speaker 1: there's real power and witnessing acts of kindness. The urban 511 00:29:18,276 --> 00:29:21,476 Speaker 1: legend that sprang up around Kitty Geneves's murder was built 512 00:29:21,516 --> 00:29:24,076 Speaker 1: on the concept that indifference is part of human nature, 513 00:29:24,716 --> 00:29:27,316 Speaker 1: and the scientific work that followed seemed to fit with 514 00:29:27,356 --> 00:29:30,636 Speaker 1: this narrative of callousness. But we now know that Kitty's 515 00:29:30,716 --> 00:29:34,316 Speaker 1: urban legend was just that, an urban legend. The science 516 00:29:34,316 --> 00:29:36,756 Speaker 1: shows that people do help as long as they think 517 00:29:36,756 --> 00:29:38,916 Speaker 1: it's the normal thing to do. And when we start 518 00:29:38,956 --> 00:29:42,076 Speaker 1: hearing that helping is not just normal, but that hundreds 519 00:29:42,076 --> 00:29:44,876 Speaker 1: of millions of people are doing it, that's likely to 520 00:29:44,916 --> 00:29:47,996 Speaker 1: have a very very large effect on our collective happiness, 521 00:29:48,516 --> 00:29:51,716 Speaker 1: which would be pretty awesome, because all of us need 522 00:29:51,756 --> 00:29:55,076 Speaker 1: the happiness boost that comes from helping others, and it's 523 00:29:55,116 --> 00:29:58,076 Speaker 1: likely we'll each find ourselves needing a little help every 524 00:29:58,116 --> 00:30:00,396 Speaker 1: now and then too, even if we're as rich and 525 00:30:00,436 --> 00:30:04,556 Speaker 1: famous as Lady Gaga. My daughter was at Bibas one day, 526 00:30:04,876 --> 00:30:07,196 Speaker 1: and this was at a time when she was in 527 00:30:07,236 --> 00:30:10,276 Speaker 1: a lot of physical pain. Sure you know, many of 528 00:30:10,316 --> 00:30:12,796 Speaker 1: your listeners might have read about the fact that she 529 00:30:12,916 --> 00:30:17,236 Speaker 1: had an emergency hip surgery. And a young woman named 530 00:30:17,276 --> 00:30:20,476 Speaker 1: Emma came to the bus. And Emma's been in a 531 00:30:20,516 --> 00:30:25,836 Speaker 1: wheelchair her entire life. Emma has cerebral palsy. Emma has 532 00:30:25,876 --> 00:30:29,476 Speaker 1: had more surgeries than you can count on your hands. 533 00:30:29,916 --> 00:30:33,356 Speaker 1: And she came up to Stephanie and asked her if 534 00:30:33,396 --> 00:30:36,156 Speaker 1: she was okay, and she said, you seem like you're 535 00:30:36,196 --> 00:30:39,836 Speaker 1: in pain and you're not feeling well. So they bonded 536 00:30:39,916 --> 00:30:45,716 Speaker 1: over pain at the bus and they became lifelong friends, 537 00:30:46,156 --> 00:30:53,116 Speaker 1: and it's just a beautiful, heartwarming story. Many of us 538 00:30:53,156 --> 00:30:55,316 Speaker 1: won't ever be faced with some of the more extreme 539 00:30:55,356 --> 00:30:58,516 Speaker 1: situations we've talked about in this episode. We won't be 540 00:30:58,516 --> 00:31:01,396 Speaker 1: called upon to intervene in a violent crime or run 541 00:31:01,436 --> 00:31:03,756 Speaker 1: through a hail of bullets to save a life. But 542 00:31:03,916 --> 00:31:06,396 Speaker 1: all of us have opportunities to intervene to help other 543 00:31:06,436 --> 00:31:09,996 Speaker 1: people in some way, checking in on a friend, donating 544 00:31:10,036 --> 00:31:12,636 Speaker 1: a few bucks to people who need, offering to give 545 00:31:12,636 --> 00:31:15,436 Speaker 1: an ear to someone who's grieving, or checking in on 546 00:31:15,476 --> 00:31:20,116 Speaker 1: a fellow passenger at the departure gate. Our daily lives 547 00:31:20,116 --> 00:31:22,316 Speaker 1: give us lots and lots of chances to be an 548 00:31:22,316 --> 00:31:25,956 Speaker 1: active and caring bystander. All these acts of kindness can 549 00:31:25,996 --> 00:31:28,996 Speaker 1: be a huge happiness booster. Doing nice things for others 550 00:31:29,036 --> 00:31:31,556 Speaker 1: gives us a richer sense of social connection and community. 551 00:31:31,796 --> 00:31:34,676 Speaker 1: It can promote a sense of purpose and meaning, and frankly, 552 00:31:34,836 --> 00:31:37,596 Speaker 1: it just feels good. So let all that kindness rip, 553 00:31:37,836 --> 00:31:40,036 Speaker 1: And if you do no other good deed today, at 554 00:31:40,076 --> 00:31:44,436 Speaker 1: least do this. Let people know that kindness is the norm, 555 00:31:44,476 --> 00:31:48,116 Speaker 1: it's what's expected of you, and it's kind of cool. 556 00:31:52,316 --> 00:31:54,996 Speaker 1: The Happiness Lab is co written and produced by Ryan Dilley. 557 00:31:55,236 --> 00:31:58,876 Speaker 1: Our original music was composed by Zachary Silver, with additional scoring, 558 00:31:58,996 --> 00:32:02,836 Speaker 1: mixing and mastering by Evan Biola. Joseph Friedman checked our facts. 559 00:32:03,236 --> 00:32:07,076 Speaker 1: Sophie Crane mckibbon edited our scripts. Emily Anne Vaughan offered 560 00:32:07,116 --> 00:32:11,916 Speaker 1: additional production support. Special thanks to Miela Belle, Carl mcgliorre 561 00:32:12,196 --> 00:32:18,116 Speaker 1: Heather Faine, Maggie Taylor, Daniella Lucarne, Maya Kanig, Nicolemrano, Eric Sandler, 562 00:32:18,436 --> 00:32:22,236 Speaker 1: Royston Vizzer, Jacob Weisberg, and my agent Ben Davis. That 563 00:32:22,396 --> 00:32:24,756 Speaker 1: Pinus Lab was brought to you by Pushkin Industries. And 564 00:32:24,916 --> 00:32:26,316 Speaker 1: meet doctor Laurie Sanders