Anyone who uses social media has probably had their feeds flooded with videos of their friends pouring ice water over their heads for the last few weeks.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m referring to the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge,” a campaign for donations to fund research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The rules are simple. People who complete the challenge nominate three of their friends for the challenge, who are given the option of donating $100 to ALS research or pour a bucket of ice water over their heads and donating $10 to ALS research.

Though spokespeople for ALS research facilities have reported dramatic increases in donations since the campaign began, the campaign has earned criticism from others saying the challenge is an ineffective, annoying ego-booster.

I will admit when I first heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge, I rolled my eyes and was quick to dismiss it as another pseudo-activist disaster reminiscent of the “Kony 2012” campaign. As I researched more about it, I realized the very characteristics many are criticizing are the aspects that make this fundraising trend so brilliant.

Sure, $10 isn’t a lot of money to donate considering the amount of self-satisfaction participants have when posting videos of themselves completing the challenge, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out more people are willing to donate when you’re asking for smaller amounts. I personally don’t have $100 lying around, but I can probably scrape together $10 for a good cause provided I’m not too far between paychecks. Though $10 seems like a small amount, the number of people who are willing to donate definitely makes up for it.

Though one could argue that the campaign promotes “slacktivism” by boosting the egos of many faux philanthropists for minimal effort, this is exactly what made the campaign so successful. People want to feel like they are good people, and they want other people to know they are good people. The public, peer pressure-based rules of the challenge supports participants’ egos for minimal effort, a key component to making the challenge viral. 

The entire point of dumping ice water on your head is to simulate actual symptoms of ALS—numbness and struggling to breathe. This creates empathy in a concrete way, and it puts the icing on the cake for this fundraising strategy. Many people with uncommon illnesses, such as ALS, find it difficult to communicate to others the pain that they feel. This disconnect creates obstacles for advocacy groups such as ALS Association in finding support from those who haven’t experienced it because the struggle of ALS victims is foreign to them. By pouring ice water over their heads, participants are given a glimpse into the world of ALS victims and are more likely to be sympathetic to those who have ALS.

As a mental health advocate, the campaign’s success compels me to sit back and take notes. Say what you want about the Ice Bucket Challenge, it’s as effective as it is ridiculous.