It's Not Cruel to Be Kind
#WorldKindnessDay is November 13!
It’s hard to believe we’re already in the home stretch of 2021. The holidays are coming, with more travel and logistics than last year, at the same time that we’re still dealing with pandemic fallout: friends, family and strangers with differing opinions, “supply chain issues,” more cancelled flights than usual, and service workers in every sector stretched thin.
All this can add up to some agitation and frustration. What to do? Take a deep breath… and then take another one, and then… be kind!
You won’t just be making life nicer for another person, you’ll be helping yourself, too. This article outlines six science-backed ways that being kind is good for your health. Here’s a quick summary of the benefits outlined by the article’s author, Maile Proctor.
Being kind makes you feel better. It boosts your levels of the feel-good neurotransmitter, serotonin, as well as other endorphins
Being nice to others can reduce your anxiety. Even a small gesture, like smiling at a stranger or reaching out to a friend can increase your “positive affect” and put you in a better mood.
Kindness protects your heart. Bear with me, there’s a few steps to this one: Being kind releases the hormone oxytocin, which in turn causes the release of nitric oxide which then expands the blood vessels and lowers your blood pressure… protecting your heart!
Kindness reduces stress. Taking an action to help others can be a good way to take a break from the stressors in our own lives, and make us better able to handle stressful situations.
Being kind prevents illness. It turns out that oxytocin also reduces inflammation, which is associated with a number of health problems.
Being kind can help you live longer. Showing compassion to others helps us develop stronger relationships, which has been shown to increase longevity!
To these benefits, I would add one more: Practicing kindness to others helps us be kinder to ourselves. It can be hard to react with gentleness and understanding, rather than being critical, but if we practice it more, with everyone, including ourselves, it becomes easier.
And, finally, according to David R. Hamilton, the author of the book, The Five Side Effects of Kindness, “kindness is contagious.” If our kindness can help inspire others to be kind too, then our stressful world might become a little bit less so — and that is definitely a kindness to us all!
