Many of us grew up hearing “The Golden Rule” repeated by parents, teachers, and peers – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”

While this may be a commonly used phrase to encourage oneself or others to practice kindness, there are also a plethora of health benefits linked to being kind – including reduced levels of stress, increased social connectedness, and longevity. 

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, a study conducted by Tyler VanderWeele suggests that there is a notable correlation between regular volunteer work and a lower risk of mortality as you enter into old age. 

Laura Kubzansky, a professor of behavior and social sciences at Harvard, studies the connection between mental and physical health. The research she has conducted found that people who participate in more volunteering and charitable donations have lower levels of physical pain as they age. 

Kindness vs. Niceness

First, it is important to differentiate between kindness and mere, surface-level “niceness.” 

According to Oxford Languages, being kind is defined as having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature. Being nice, however, was defined as being pleasant, agreeable, or satisfactory.

In other words, there is a depth to being kind that “just being nice” lacks. Kindness comes from within. It is a genuine longing to improve the lives of others and to promote flourishing in communities around us.

Exploring Health Benefits

An NPR article explores the results of the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial, a vast experiment in which adults age 60 and older were randomly assigned to remain on a waiting list or volunteer at local elementary schools. 

The article explains, “The volunteers spent at least 15 hours a week tutoring underprivileged kids. After two years, the researchers found that the volunteers had measurable changes in their brain health.” 

It continues, “‘They didn’t experience declines in memory and executive function like we saw in our control participants,’ says Gruenewald, who is one of the researchers involved in the trial.” 

This trial found that there were changes in the participants’ brain volume in the areas that supported the cognitive processes – the ways in which our brain takes in and breaks down information – active in this examination.

Kindness as a Pro-Social Behavior

According to the National Library of Medicine, “Empirical research indicates that helping or sharing to benefit another person (i.e., prosocial behavior) confers benefits not just for the target (or receiver) of kindness, but also for the actor (or doer). Kindness intervention research has focused primarily on increasing well-being outcomes. Yet, doing acts of kindness may also ameliorate loneliness and stress.”

Evidence from above suggests that kindness plays a crucial role in improving our psychological and physical health, and it has been found to increase satisfaction in our social lives.

General Practices of Kindness

Now that we have gained a solid understanding of the health benefits derived from being kind, let’s explore practical ways we can exhibit kindness in the lives of those around us:

1. Paying for someone’s expired parking meter.
2. Leaving a genuine compliment for a stranger.
3. Returning a shopping cart for someone else.
4. Tipping a little extra, when you can.
5. Offering help before being asked.
6. Acknowledging someone who may feel overlooked.
7. Volunteering at a local soup kitchen.
8. Organizing a beach clean-up.
9. Praying for someone who may need it.
10. Donating what you can, when you can.

Conclusion

While various acts of kindness have a multitude of positive physiological effects on our bodies and minds, it is certainly a way to brighten up your own day and someone else’s. It is always important to remember that we never know what someone else is going through – one small gesture can make all the difference.

I challenge all of us to ask ourselves, “How can I make the world a little kinder today?”