The Power Of Kındness

Being kind is genuinely good for you, so build up your kindness muscle and both you and others will reap the rewards

- Anna Moore

We’re stressed and in a hurry, living in a competitive world in uncertain times, so it’s not surprising that simple, day-to-day kindness can fall by the wayside. Whether it’s road rage, queue rage, loneliness behind closed doors, workplace bullying or Internet trolling, there are endless examples where the absence of kindness can make modern life a little worse for all.

Yet making the effort to be kind – to see through kinder eyes and act accordingly – brings surprising rewards to you, the recipient, and to anyone who witnesses it. It improves happiness, health, life satisfaction and connection. And it is also contagious, as we pay it back and pass it on.

THE BENEFITS

1 It’s good for business

Multiple studies show that kindness in the workplace reduces staff absence, and increases job satisfaction and performance. We work harder when our company culture and co-workers are kind to us – and we afford a higher social status to the most altruistic people in the office.

2 IT MAKES US HEALTHIER

Behaving kindly sets off a chain of physical effects. Those warm feelings that come with kindness boost oxytocin levels, which in turn produces nitric oxide, a powerful neurotransmitter that relaxes the blood vessels and improves circulation. That’s added protection against heart attacks, strokes, and other nasties.

3 It slows ageing

Stress ages us – we can see it on the outside and record the effects on the inside – but kind people produce less of the stress hormone cortisol. Perpetual kindness boosts our antioxidant response, too – who knew that a bit of goodwill could be as effective as a superfood?

4 IT MAKES US HAPPIER