by Gabrielle Alli
spreading love is scientific (credit: Pixabay, DariuszSankowski)
So what exactly is kindness? Well, first off, it's everywhere. You can find it when you're recycling plastics, helping your friend study, saying “thank you,” and so much more. Most of us have been learning since kindergarten how nice it is to be nice. But did you know that there’s science to back that up?
Kindness Chemicals
Our brains respond with certain hormones and chemicals when we’re kind, or even when we just witness acts of kindness. Seeing people be kind can produce oxytocin, often referred to as the “love hormone.” Production of this chemical helps our self-esteem, optimism, and heart health. It also assists in lowering blood pressure [1].
Being kind can also help produce two other chemicals, dopamine and serotonin [2]. Serotonin helps heal wounds, relieve stress, and increase happiness [1]. Both dopamine and serotonin cause pleasure and reward centers to light up in your brain, giving a feeling of satisfaction [2]. Despite not being the giver of the good deed, your body still responds as if it is the recipient. That’s pretty cool.
Research Studies and Surveys
In a study performed just a few years ago, participants were told to actively do a kind act for someone around them or work to observe kindness over the course of seven days. Certain factors were used to compare these acts, such as strong/weak social ties and observance vs. action. Over all the different groups studied, there was a positive correlation between the number of kind acts and happiness levels [3]. In simpler terms, being kind helped people to be happy.
Other studies show similar results. In one, about half of the participants reported feeling calmer, more energetic, and less depressed after helping others [1]. Another survey back in 2010 conducted by Harvard Business School showed that those who were generous financially (like with donations) were overall the happiest in 136 countries [1]. On a physical and mental level, being kind helps others and helps you. Giving back also helps you to take care of yourself.
So Where Do I Start?
It’s become clear that yes, in many ways, it’s nice to be nice. And at the root of things, one can argue that we’re all kind at heart. The most important thing about kindness is learning how to implement it in our everyday lives.
Give back a little more. It’s easy for monetary donations to come to mind when we think of charity and giving back, but there’s more to it. Donations can also come in the form of clothes for clothing drives or canned goods for food drives. One can also give back some time, by volunteering at local animal shelters or soup kitchens. Or giving back can be taking a little moment out of your day to ask a friend how they’re doing, and just listen.
Grow and practice. Like it’s been said, many of us mean well at heart. But no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. There’s no need to get discouraged and give up hope. Learn from your mistakes and move forward, and be determined to try again and do better. It might not seem so, but many do recognize when people put in effort to better themselves. And sometimes, that effort is enough to be appreciated in and of itself.
Be kind to yourself. Have you ever skipped a meal to get something done “just really quickly?” Chipped away at those hours of sleep, and had it hit you like a brick at the end of the week? Or, even just thought you’re not good enough? Being kind to oneself is often overlooked when talking about the general topic of kindness. But it’s also one of the most important aspects. When you take care of yourself and learn to love yourself, you are better able to recognize and give back the love that surrounds you. Remember to be kind to yourself, because you deserve it.
The big takeaway: your kindergarten teacher was right. Treat others how you want to be treated and make the kind choice. In the end, it’ll be worth it for many, many different reasons.
Sources
The Science of Kindness. (n.d.). Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/the-science-of-kindness
Siegle, S. (2020, May 9). The Art of Kindness. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/the-art-of-kindness
Brodrick, M. (2019, April 18). The Heart and Science of Kindness. Harvard Health Blog. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-heart-and-science-of-kindness-2019041816447