Kindness is teachable. Kindness is contagious. Kindness increases lifespan. Kindness decreases pain. If all of these are true, why wait to catch it? Be a kindness carrier and pass it on!
Ever had someone believe in you more than you believe in yourself? Ever had a manager push you to do and be your best? How about a mentor who said something that profoundly changed your career direction? A friend who encouraged you to get back up and try again? Or a co-worker who you thought did something rather insignificant or even harmful initially but you, later on, realized how it was truly an act of kindness? Or that one person who inspired you to be a better human being? Or even a stranger who stopped to jump start your car as you were running late for your kid’s school recital?
This week (February 11-17, 2018) is RAK (Random Act of Kindness) week. To commemorate the week, the principal at my daughter and son’s school wrote about the importance of teaching kindness at school and how the teachers are reinforcing the lessons at each grade. I’m sharing with you an excerpt from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation that he included in his note as it is relevant to us in our professional and personal lives, as it is with the children’s.
Kindness is Teachable
“It’s kind of like weight training, we found that people can actually build up their compassion ‘muscle’ and respond to others’ suffering with care and a desire to help.” – Dr. Ritchie Davidson, University of Wisconsin
Kindness is Contagious
The positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of everyone who witnessed the act, improving their mood and making them significantly more likely to “pay it forward.” This means one good deed in a crowded area can create a domino effect and improve the day of dozens of people! (Check out this wall of kindness notes. The kids wrote kind words to describe each of their classmates.)
Kindness Increases:
- The Love Hormone. Witnessing acts of kindness produces oxytocin, occasionally referred to as the ‘love hormone’ which aids in lowering blood pressure and improving our overall heart-health. Oxytocin also increases our self-esteem and optimism, which is extra helpful when we’re in anxious or shy in a social situation.
- Energy. “About half of participants in one study reported that they feel stronger and more energetic after helping others; many also reported feeling calmer and less depressed, with increased feelings of self-worth.” – Christine Carter, University of California at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center
- Happiness. A 2010 Harvard Business School survey of happiness in 136 countries found that people who are altruistic—in this case, people who were generous financially, such as with charitable donations—were happiest overall.
- Lifespan. “People who volunteer tend to experience fewer aches and pains. Giving help to others protects overall health twice as much as aspirin protects against heart disease. People 55 and older who volunteer for two or more organizations have an impressive 44% lower likelihood of dying early, and that’s after sifting out every other contributing factor, including physical health, exercise, gender, habits like smoking, marital status and many more. This is a stronger effect than exercising four times a week or going to church.” – Christine Carter, UC Berkeley
- Pleasure. According to research from Emory University, when you are kind to another person, your brain’s pleasure and reward centers light up, as if you were the recipient of the good deed—not the giver. This phenomenon is called the “helper’s high.”
- Seratonin. Like most medical antidepressants, kindness stimulates the production of serotonin. This feel-good chemical heals your wounds, calms you down, and makes you happy!
Kindness Decreases:
- Pain. Engaging in acts of kindness produces endorphins—the brain’s natural painkiller!
- Stress. Perpetually kind people have 23% less cortisol (the stress hormone) and age slower than the average population!
- Anxiety. A group of highly anxious individuals performed at least six acts of kindness a week. After one month, there was a significant increase in positive moods, relationship satisfaction and a decrease in social avoidance in socially anxious individuals. (University of British Columbia)
- Depression. Stephen Post of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that when we give of ourselves, everything from life satisfaction to self-realization and physical health is significantly improved. Mortality is delayed, depression is reduced and well-being and good fortune are increased.
- Blood pressure. Committing acts of kindness lowers blood pressure. According to Dr. David R. Hamilton, acts of kindness create emotional warmth, which releases a hormone known as oxytocin. Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide, which dilates the blood vessels. This reduces blood pressure and, therefore, oxytocin is known as a “cardioprotective” hormone. It protects the heart by lowering blood pressure.
Like many, I’ve been fortunate in my career to be surrounded by kind people, as I’ve discussed in my article, The Best Gifts are Priceless and Should be ReGifted… Really. It behooves us to get out of quarantine and pass on the kindness bug! Who wouldn’t want a worldwide kindness epidemic?
Also, check out this short and fun video on How to Change the World With Kindness. It’s easy, simple, and can make a big impact. So let’s do it!
”If we all do one random act of kindness daily, we just might set the world in the right direction.” – Marti Kornfield
If you enjoyed this article or found it helpful, click the thumbs up icon below or share (Be a carrier!). Feel free to write in the comments your thoughts, other examples of acts of kindness that have made an indelible impact on your career, or ways you’ve paid it forward.