Grove Life Summer 2019

I recently graduated from Leadership Boca, Class of 2019. Developed by the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce due to their belief that the single most important ingredient for building a successful, thriving community is an investment in leadership. The future of our community depends on well-informed and involved leaders. The program cultivates, trains and motivates selected participants through a 20-week commitment of 10 full days. Each day has a theme. For me, Economic Development Day, Health Awareness Day and Human Services Day were my three favorites. Economic Development is likely self-explanatory, especially in as much as what our city and our coun- ty are doing to increase business development in our area helps me with my marketing plan and offers some outside of the box thinking on how to increase the number of dues paying members. Health Awareness Day really gained my attention and excitement because of the advancements in science, specifically, my fascination with our brains. Human Services Day was amazing because I got to start my day with breakfast sponsored by none other than our own Debbie Ellman and Best Foot Forward. It also showed me how much we do in our community as well as how much is still needed. So now, to engage your brain, I need you to indulge me a little … When you were a kid, there was nothing better than receiving a gift. A wrapped present was like a mystery novel with an ending that was guaranteed to be excellent. You didn’t know exactly what was inside, but you knew it was for you, and it was probably something you wanted. We all eventually reach an age at which giving gifts be- comes just as thrilling as it was receiving them as a child. You grow up to find that the joy of making someone happy is more powerful than you could have possibly imagined. There’s something inexplicably satisfying in witnessing peo- ple unwrap a gift and respond with unadulterated amaze- ment and happiness. You have made them smile, and that’s worth far more than money or any material item. Simultaneously, we find great satisfaction in giving back to the world around us. It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to know that doing nice things for people feels good. But now, researchers say they’ve discovered that even thinking about doing something generous has real mood-boosting benefits in the brain.

At one of our stops on Health Awareness Day, we learned of a study published by researchers from the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Fifty people were told they’d be receiving about $100 over a few weeks. Half of the people were asked to commit to spending that money on them- selves, and half were asked to spend it on someone they knew. The researchers wanted to see whether simply pledging to being generous was enough to make people happier. So be- fore doling out any money, they brought everyone into the lab and asked them to think about a friend they’d like to give a gift to and how much they would hypothetically spend. They then performed functional MRI scans to measure activity in three regions of the brain associated with social behavior, generosity, happiness and decision-making. Their choices—and their brain activity—seemed to depend on how they had pledged to spend the money earlier. Those who had agreed to spend money on other people tended to make more generous decisions throughout the experiment, compared to those who had agreed to spend on themselves. They also had more interaction between the parts of the brain associated with altruism and happiness, and they reported higher levels of happiness after the experiment was over. Another piece of good news was that it didn’t seem to matter how generous people were. Planning to give away just a little bit of money had the same effects on happiness as giving away a lot. “At least in our study, the amount spent did not matter,” said lead author Philippe Tobler, associate professor of neuroeconomics and social neuroscience, in an email. “It is worth keeping in mind that even little things have a beneficial effect—like bringing coffee to one’s office mates in the morning.” Winston Churchill once aptly stated, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” It seems the brain concurs that it is through giving that we enrich and perpetuate both our own lives and the lives of others. Therefore, one could surmise that true wealth is not acquired through earthly possessions, but by leading a fulfilling life. I have had the pleasure this past year to join in as Boca Grove members have shared their time, talent and treasures in that spirit of giving with a multitude of non-profits. I look forward to continuing to spread good cheer and generosity to keep our community both with- in and outside our walls healthy and happy. Please share your causes with us so we can learn more about what is important to each of you.

Vision Inspire and enable members to enjoy every day of their lives.

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