For all those dismayed by scenes of looting in Chile or elsewhere, take heart: Good acts — acts of kindness, generosity and cooperation — spread just as easily as bad. And it takes only a handful of individuals to really make a difference.

In a study published by the National Academy of Sciences last week, researchers provided the first laboratory evidence that cooperative behavior is contagious and that it spreads from person to person to person. When people benefit from kindness they “pay it forward” by helping others who were not originally involved, and this creates a cascade of cooperation that influences dozens more in a social network.

(READ More in Science Daily) – Thanks to Nancy P. for submitting the link!

President Obama named ten charities this week that will share the $1.4 million award that comes with his 2009 Nobel peace prize.

“These organizations do extraordinary work in the United States and abroad helping students, veterans and countless others in need,” said President Obama. “I’m proud to support their work.”

The charities are:

* Fisher House, a national non-profit organization that provides housing for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. ($250,000)

* The Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, formed in the wake of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, and per request from President Obama, former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton joined to create a vehicle for raising funds for long-term relief efforts. ($200,000)

* College Summit, a national non-profit organization that partners with high schools to strengthen college-going culture and increase college enrollment rates. ($125,000)

* The Posse Foundation, a national non-profit that identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes, awarding them four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. ($125,000)

* The United Negro College Fund plays a critical role in enabling more than 60,000 students each year to attend college through scholarship and internship programs. ($125,000)

* The Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the nation’s leading Hispanic scholarship organization, provides college scholarships and educational outreach support — in its 34 year history, close to $280M in scholarships to more than 90,000 students in need. ($125,000)

* The Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation, supports and enables young men and women from Appalachia to pursue higher education though scholarship and leadership curriculum. ($125,000)

* The American Indian College Fund, transforms higher education by funding and creating awareness of the unique, community-based accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities. The Fund disburses approximately 6,000 scholarships annually for American Indian students seeking to better their lives through higher education. ($125,000 )

* AfriCare, founded in 1970, reaches communities in 25 countries, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa with programs that address needs in three principal areas: health and HIV/AIDS; food security and agriculture; and water resource development. ($100,000)

* Greg Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute, promotes and supports community-based education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg’s book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time, recounts his attempt to successfully establish dozens of schools and promote girls’ education in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan. ($100,000 )

Thanks to John Malcomson for submitting the story link!