It’s more than doing a good deed. The art of kindness includes fostering a spirit of helpfulness, as well as being generous and considerate, and perhaps most importantly, doing so without expectation. The act of giving kindness often is simple, free, positive, and surprisingly, very healthy.
Good for your body
Kindness increases self-esteem, empathy and compassion. It improves mood. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a stress hormone, directly impacting stress levels. Giving of yourself in a balanced way also tends to lead to a longer and healthier life. Being altruistic helps increase your sense of connectivity with others, combatting loneliness, improving mood and enhancing relationships overall. It also can be contagious!
Monetary donations to others a.k.a. prosocial spending has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve heart health. One study asked two groups of hypertensive people to spend $40: one group on themselves and the other group on others. Results showed that those who spent money on others had lower blood pressure at the end of the six-week study — benefits as significant as those from healthy diet and exercise.
Giving even seems to reduce pain. A recent study found that people who agreed to donate money to help orphans were less sensitive to an electric shock than those who declined to give. In addition, the more helpful people thought their donation would be, the less pain they felt. The study found that regions of the brain which react to painful stimulation appear to be deactivated instantly by the experience of giving.
Good for your mind
Kindness can improve your brain. Being kind boosts serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters in the brain that prompt feelings of satisfaction and well-being, and stimulate the pleasure/reward centers. Endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain killer, also can be released.
Activities like volunteering, can also reduce the risk for cognitive impairment and even help us live longer. One reason for this, experts say, is because kindness contributes to our sense of community and belonging. And that has been shown to be a key contributor for a longer and healthy life.
UK researchers found that being kind can boost happiness in as little as three days. A study assigned people to three groups: the first had to perform an act of kindness each day; the second group tried a new activity; and the third group did nothing. The groups who were kind and did novel things saw a significant boost in happiness.
Be kind to yourself, too
Extend those same behaviors and intentions to yourself as well and be more kind in your self-talk. Practice gratitude. We’re too good at beating ourselves up. Being kind to the person in the mirror can be as important as being kind to others.
Take action: it’s simple
Simply asking what you are doing to be kind each day can be helpful. Try performing and promoting “random acts of kindness.” Here’s the good news: acts of kindness can be anonymous or visible, spontaneous or planned, and can be as simple as giving a compliment or opening a door for someone.
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, which promotes year-round kindness, has lists of ideas, organized by work, community, environment, animals, strangers, kids, seniors and more. “You’re making the world a better place,” the foundation says. But don’t forget — any kindness you give to others is also a gift to yourself.
Bliss on Broadway is ready year-round to offer a full range of massage and skin care services for some self-love, including this month’s special 75-minute Swedish Massage with Sweet Pea Scrub. Reach us at 562-439-4333 or visit www.blissonbroadway.com.