How Can Ordinary People Change the World Without Being Rich or Giving Up Everything?

What Are the Best Underrated Ways to Make a Positive Impact on Society Today?

Discover social psychologist Adam Mastroianni’s 7 practical strategies for changing the world without immense wealth or sacrifice. Learn how becoming the “second-bravest person,” curating information, and creating cultural shifts can turn your good intentions into real impact.

Ready to get your good heart unstuck? Read the full guide to discover which of these seven offbeat paths fits your life and start making a measurable difference today.

Recommendation

Humanity faces existential threats on several fronts — climate change, nuclear warfare, AI, ecological collapse, and so on. While many people would like to volunteer their time and resources to make the world a better, safer place, they don’t know how. When inaction festers, good intentions die, usurped by excuses and cynicism. Social psychologist Adam Mastroianni identifies the crux of the problem and offers seven offbeat approaches that ordinary people can put into practice in order to scratch their itch to save the world.

Take-Aways

• The path to improving the world is not binary.
• Have the courage to be the “second-bravest person.”
• Create a hive of activity dedicated to your cause.
• Resolve to get the right information in the hands of the right people.
• You don’t need a laboratory to practice the scientific method at home.
• Inject your culture with your vision for the world.
• Land a government role.
• Show up and do good.

Summary

The path to improving the world is not binary.

Many people assume there are two ways to secure lasting, positive change in the world:

1. “Go high status” — Get extortionately rich and throw money at the problems facing humanity, as only the wealthy can invoke change.
2. “Go high sacrifice” — Sell all your possessions and live an ascetic life dedicated to your cause, as only the virtuous can effect change.

“Look at the world! See it aching! It’s got so many problems — I promise you, there’s one with your name on it.”

These routes to change are not wrong, but they exclude the idealistic, altruistic masses who wish to contribute. However, anyone can prompt change via a “righteous road less taken.”

Have the courage to be the “second-bravest person.”

When a scandal surfaces — such as the revelation that a Hollywood producer has been sexually abusing actresses or an executive has been embezzling corporate funds — people always wonder why no one spoke out. The truth is someone always speaks out. A victim or a witness confides in a friend. If you are that confidant, elevate the matter. Be brave enough to act or tell someone else in the pursuit of justice.

Create a hive of activity dedicated to your cause.

You can spend your whole life writing letters to politicians without making any real headway. However, if you can convince some friends to rally around your cause, your group will gain credibility and recognition, while starting a movement. Once your movement reaches a critical mass, you’ll create what economic historians call an “efflorescence” — a hotbed dedicated to your cause.

Resolve to get the right information in the hands of the right people.

The internet has not made the search for information obsolete. When you have access to a world of information at your fingertips, finding relevant information amid a mountain of search returns can be overwhelming. Moreover, the most important information still resides within people’s brains, not online. Commit to “switchboarding” — that is, using your knowledge to match the right information to the person who needs it. If, say, your cousin is moving to a new city and doesn’t know anyone, introduce her to your friend who lives there. If a colleague is interested in a new field, and you have a great book on the topic, lend it to him. The right information in the right hands can transform the world.

You don’t need a laboratory to practice the scientific method at home.

People often assume that a state-of-the-art laboratory is essential to conduct scientific research. But individuals can employ the scientific method from the comfort of their own homes. Consider the case of a man who disproved the theory that cracking one’s knuckles leads to arthritis: He cracked the knuckles in his left hand twice a day for 50 years, using the knuckles in his right hand as a control. Neither hand developed arthritis.

“Independent investigators can…explore where others fear to tread.”

Individuals have more freedom to conduct independent research than scientists who are tethered to a corporation or university. Joy Milne, a nurse, realized she could detect Parkinson’s disease in patients due to the presence of a distinctive smell. Her discovery inspired the medical industry to develop early-detection screening for Parkinson’s — a project that never would have come about without Milne’s astute observations.

Inject your culture with your vision for the world.

Culture defines appropriate and inappropriate behavior. If your culture engages in cannibalism and sacrifices individuals to the gods, you will too. However, you are not a victim of your culture; you contribute to it. If you don’t like the state of your culture, don’t just complain about it; resolve to change it. Promote your ideal vision for the world, and see it trickle throughout your circles and social networks. You have the power to be a force for good.

Land a government role.

Government jobs aren’t glamorous, but they do effect change. For instance, Chris Mark, a trained engineer with the Bureau of Mines, figured out how to prevent mine collapses, saving countless lives. Mark could execute his solution successfully because he worked in government, which offered a platform for him to crack a problem that everyone agreed was worth solving.

Show up and do good.

If you do something even slightly useful, and you do it persistently, others will start to build upon your modest foundations. But you must show up consistently.

About the Author

Social psychologist Adam Mastroianni writes a blog called Experimental History.