Most of us have heard the adage “it’s more important to be kind than right.” Over the last decade, research on kindness has helped us understand why this saying feels true. A number of studies show that kindness to self and others strengthens our physical, social, and emotional well-being.
The physical health impacts of kindness are wide-ranging. In one study, helping others through volunteering was connected to a reduction in pain interference with daily activities. Self-compassion has also been associated with lower levels of pain disability. Nurses have reported feeling healthier physically and emotionally after implementing brief loving-kindness practices, as little as 7 to 15 minutes a day.
Positive experiences like kindness activate the vagus nerve, which can lead us to feel more altruistic, compassionate, and loving. Older adults who engage in regular acts of kindness like volunteering enjoy a 24% lower risk of mortality. Simply witnessing acts of kindness increases bonding behavior of mothers toward their infants, which is commonly associated with higher levels of oxytocin.
At the 2024 Kindness Effect Summit, an interdisciplinary and cross-industry gathering of kindness leaders, I shared some of the health evidence to make the point that kindness ought to be considered a new “vital sign.” This might look like taking a 3-minute kindness survey as a routine part of social-emotional wellness assessment (and possible intervention in primary care).
Organizations like Kindr Foundation, Kindness.org, and Kindness Worldwide are seeing the benefits of pooling knowledge, effort, and resources around kindness initiatives. This could help expand the evidence base, accelerate intervention development, and broaden the adoption of practices that promote kindness on a large scale.
Some studies indicate a causal connection between positive emotions and prosocial behavior, both for adults and children. When we feel happier, we tend to help others. Interestingly, when we feel good from self-relevant experiences, such as thinking about our accomplishments, our generosity levels may rise even more.
Emotions like awe, gratitude, and elevation are specifically tied to helping others. The effects run in the opposite direction as well, with prosocial behavior appearing to have intrinsic emotional rewards. Being aware that kindness and positive affect have reciprocal effects can encourage helping behavior, reinforcing a positive feedback loop.
Hedonic well-being is not the only type of happiness connected to kindness. Some evidence points to eudaimonic well-being as an outcome of prosocial behavior, which is the kind of happiness that comes from achieving goals that are consistent with one’s personal values.
Kindness in relationships, especially in friendships, is associated with greater happiness, resilience, and adaptive coping. That kindness may be expressed through emotional support and spending time with friends.
Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) students have multiple opportunities to learn how to cultivate kindness on individual and group levels. In A Happier You’s sixth week, participants are asked to perform acts of kindness for themselves and others while observing the effect on well-being, mood, and sense of self-efficacy. Student facilitators lead kindness-sharing discussions in the last week of the program, which creates a bridge to the program’s final topic: loving-kindness. Loving-kindness is understood through the lens of metta meditation, a type of Buddhist meditation that expands an individual’s access to compassion for self and others.
MAPP students also have the opportunity to learn from one of the world’s leading authorities on mindful self-compassion, Dr. Steven Hickman, in their course Mindfulness, Positive Emotions, and Well-being. MAPP students have brought kindness into the community through a Kindness Rocks project, a wellness fair at Community Behavioral Health, and a gratitude expression program in primary care.
© 2024 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine