Why sharing is good

Indeed sharing was seen as a simple solution to the many social and environmental problems facing Australian suburbs. It is not only my research participants who view sharing with somewhat rose-tinted glasses. A recent Grattan Institute report, Social Cities , outlines worrying signs about the increase in social isolation and loneliness in Australian cities.

Carpooling is a classic example where sharing is promoted as being an opportunity to get to know your community and help the environment.

The idea of Sharehood has been enthusiastically received by suburban residents with many people signing up as members, yet very few go on to utilise the network. The media has also enthusiastically picked up the concept, yet my research suggests not much actually gets shared.

And most interesting of all, neither group shared more or less than the other. So why are local neighbourhood sharing networks failing? With so many people willing to share items, generously posting offers to fix computers, lend wheelbarrows, and teach singing, what could possibly be going wrong?

The problem is in our definition of sharing. In practice, sharing is considered to be an act of generosity, rather than the common use or ownership of goods, time, or experience. We are taught as children that sharing is about being generous.

In the original the little red hen asks the farm animals to help make her bread. They all refuse to help but want to share in the eating and the little red hen refuses. Then spending time volunteering at an animal shelter, taking a friends dog for a walk, or pet sitting are great ways to get an animal fix. Need more reasons to join the TrustedHousesitters community? Create your listing or apply for sits with an annual membership. We use cookies dog biscuits didn't work to give you a great experience on our website.

By continuing, you're consenting to this use of cookies. Learn more. Log in. Find a pet sitter Find a house sit. How it works Trust and safety Pricing. And soon, sharing became a way of authentically connecting not only to others, but also to myself.

Clearly we know how to do it! Sharing, especially good things, is somewhat looked down upon. But believe it or not, sharing is scientifically proven to boost our personal well-being! By giving away a portion of my food to an ex-boyfriend, I automatically thought about what I was losing in the situation. The same was true for my emotional side. Every time I opened up, I thought about how I was now more vulnerable than before.

Or if I shared something I learned with someone else, I thought of how I may have just given them the advantage they needed to achieve more than me. In one study , Zak found that even tweeting and responding to tweets for ten minutes spiked oxytocin levels!

The takeaway? Expressing who we are and connecting with others can improve our well-being. We choose the people we open up to, and more likely than not, we make that decision based on certain characteristics or attributes.