Photo thanks to Zena C.

We raised money! We had a good time! We learned some new words, mostly scientific in nature:

thixotropic (thks-trpk)

Our winner, Josh Malamy.

There are so many people who not only helped out at The Drunken Bee by donating their time, money or talent but who also really affirmed the Altrooist mission: do good. These folks went all out. They practiced, made movies, dreamt up elaborate elbow patch gags, organized words, donated prizes, dropped off monitors, passed LOLjudgement from Canada, worked the door, made us laugh, procured a costume beer belly, rocked out, bought tickets and spelled their way into our hearts. Because of all their efforts, we’re sending a Seattle kid (and parent!) to Washington DC to compete in the Scripps National Bee. HOW COOL IS THAT? It’s way cool.

Our heros: Luke Burbank, Johnathan Kyu, Sean DeTore, Kevin Hyder, Solomon Georgio, Monti, Lindy West, Scott Porad, Ben Huh, Fay Canale, Derek Sheen, Travis Vogt, People’s Republic of Komedy, Blood Squad, We Wrote the Book on Connectors, Andrew Saeger, Boo Davis, Kate Van Der Aa, Mark Tye, Erin Morrow, Todd Gehman, Liz Riley, Dana Bos, The Stranger, Too Beautiful To Live, Crave Seattle, Three Imaginary Girls. It takes a village. Thank you to all who came, all who bought auction items, all who kept handing us $20 bills.

Thank you thank you thank you.

"Remember, it's five o'clock somewhere."

Genes kinda look like peas.

New Scientist magazine explores ten mysteries of things humans do or have that don’t seem to make evolutionary sense. Things like pubic hair. And being nice. You can guess which one caught our attention here at Altrooist! But since we’re about being nice we’re gonna talk about that one.

Altruism is when someone does something to benefit another with no benefit to themselves, and maybe even at harm to themselves. Being a recovering philosophy major, I can recall many passionate discussions in my 20s about the existence of altruism. With my misunderstood hair-do, 40 pound book bag and serious doubts if I could make it through a philosophy graduate program, I didn’t think altruism was real. There was always a benefit to the doer. But maybe that was my AVRP1 talking.

AVPR1 is a gene that is tied to kindness. When it’s longer than average being nice is a biological preference. Coming up short? You might be mean, dictator-like and all around ruthless. According to a study if you have a lengthy AVPR1 you get more of a reward in the feel-good centers of the brain when you are kind. You get a bigger kick out of social bonding, a greater high when you click with someone. Given all the good brain chemicals being released when you go out of your way to be altruistic, it’s no wonder that an AVPR1 afflicted philosophy student would argue that the doer gets a benefit — because as a doer, I was getting a benefit.

But what if that conversation was with an AVPR1 challenged student. She’s not getting the same reward for being nice. Brain chemicals might be released but could go relatively unnoticed or have no effect. Her decision to donate blood could seem like a burden, something she gets no reward from at all. Where my brain is skipping through a field of wildflowers after doing something nice, her’s could be hanging out in the library.

So now 15 years later, my answer for if altruism exists is “It depends.” Which, really, is pretty much the smartest answer for any philosophical conundrum anyway.

I’ve watched folks improve their mood by buying someone else coffee. I’ve spent vacations doing good deeds in unfamiliar cities only to find that’s the quickest way to make them familiar. Genetically lucky? Maybe. But worth a try? Absolutely.

A recent study concluded that spending money on others can boost our own happiness. Which, if you think about it, makes perfect sense. Stopping at your local coffee house to pick up a cup of java, doesn’t necessarily make you any happier. Okay, maybe it does. Look, let’s just pretend it doesn’t make you that much happier. There’s no need to be difficult!  What if you spent that same amount of money on a cupcake for a friend, coworker, or even a stranger. Can you imagine how much that might brighten someone’s day?

I mean, I know it’s cliche to say “it’s the thought that counts” but it’s true. Thoughts count! Little things add up. After all, it really isn’t about the money at all. It’s about the intentions behind it. Someone’s willingness to share. Someone’s thoughtfulness to think of you. Someone going out of their way, even just a little bit, to cheer you on.

So, can money buy you happiness? Sort of. But not really. You know what can buy happiness? Sharing.

I’ve always been fascinated with sameness. Not in hair-dos or car choices but in the overarching sameness to how we live our lives, the things we pick to matter the most and our shared quest for Happy.

But Happy can be elusive. And while I don’t have it figured out yet, there are a few things I’ve learned from life and from others that can make Happy a more routine visitor and less of a mysterious stranger.

1. Think that not being happy isn’t all that bad. Try to appreciate the ebb and flow of happy to unhappy. There will always be ebb and flow.

2. Don’t compare yourself to others. Happiness based on being better-off than someone else is only good until someone comes along you feel lesser than. Base your happiness on the stability of you and your character.

3. Get comfortable with change. Fighting it will cause more unhappiness than is necessary.

4. Do good. The best way to be happy is to make others happy.

5. See the good around you. Our radars can easily be tuned to notice more bad than good. Catching a few newspaper headlines as you walk by a box or a week of nightly news can throw your radar out of whack. The good is all around you. Readjust as necessary to see it.

6. Smile. This could also be called: Fake it ’til you make it.

7. Meditate. Having some quiet time will keep you centered.

8. Get 8 hours of sleep. It’s hard to be happy when you are cranky.

9. Eat lots of local fruits and vegetables. It provides connection to your community, climate and farmers. Food is strangely powerful.

10. Foster community with your friends, family and neighbors. Feeling part of something is key to being happy. Make yourself useful, spend time with those around you, meet your neighbors.

What have you learned about being happy?