If there is one thing we hear over and over about the world, it’s that reality can be harsh. Other people are often mean and selfish. They’ll hurt us, and we need to cultivate a thick skin. It’s a world where everyone is just likely to go against you. But we know that believing this and choosing to adopt the same mindset is not as good as it seems. Instead, it appears that kindness has the most benefits.
That’s an idea that comes from research. Many studies have shown that being kind is better for our health. Kinder people often live longer, have better physical and mental health, and also a stronger community than cynics.
There are two main positive effects of kindness. First, it helps you strengthen connections with other people. You feel part of a community, even if you are around strangers. Kindness can also create a positive environment and ripple through to other people, inspiring them to do better.
Being kind to those around you can serve as a very powerful strategy for feeling in control of your life. Often, we feel that the world around us is too big and we can’t have an effect on it. However, small acts of kindness can have a huge impact in how in control you feel.
When you do something good for another person, a stranger or a loved one, you can create a situation that has a positive effect on the world. It might be a tiny effect, one that is immediate, like helping someone feel better, getting them a small gift, or giving a bit of help. However, that small effect can help you see that you have the power to change the world, one person at a time.
Kindness is a path that anyone can follow. It is a win-win approach that helps you help others while you also provide yourself with remarkable benefits. Kindness helps your mood, your emotional well-being, your physical health, and even your longevity. It strengthens your connections to the people around you.
It’s easy to be kind. You can draw inspiration from initiatives like Random Acts of Kindness or find your own way to put it in practice in your daily life. But it doesn’t require you to sacrifice massive amounts of time, money, or energy. Just try to make someone’s day a little better. Make a small change. Offer help when you see it’s required. You will be stunned by the positive effects you see.
