The Ryan Gosling Effect: Use Heroic Celebrities to Help Inspire Heroic Kids | Humane Connection

Movie stars have an advantage in performing heroic acts. They’ve practiced. Most actors have spent time imagining themselves in perilous situations in which they come to the rescue. They’ve probably spent hours performing those acts as well. So when it comes time for someone like Ryan Gosling to step into traffic to pull a woman out of the way of a speeding taxi, it seems natural. This idea of practice and imagining is key to ongoing studies of heroism. Simply put, the more you’ve imagined yourself doing the right thing, the more likely you are to do it when it matters. The more you’ve practiced small acts of compassion, the more likely you are to step out from the crowd when an act of heroism is required.

via The Ryan Gosling Effect: Use Heroic Celebrities to Help Inspire Heroic Kids | Humane Connection.