Scientifically Proven Benefits of Kindness

By djsheryl on February 18, 2022

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA РMAY 11: Angel Velazquez, 35, at left, gets a hug from Anita Cino after giving her, nd other random customers, a card and quarters at a Huntington Beach laundromat Monday. Velazquez performed acts of kindness all over the city to celebrate her 35th birthday. ///ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Ð 5/11/15 Ð MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Ð shot 051115 hb.0512.kindness Angel Velazquez performs her 44 acts of kindness on her 35th birthday. (Photo by Mindy Schauer/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

Feb 13-19 is Random Acts of Kindness Week and if you’re looking for ideas or motivation, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has a lot of information for you! In an effort encourage the spreading of kindness, they’ve gathered a lot of data and research about the benefits of being kind. Did you know:

1 – Kindness is good for your physical heart. According to the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, witnessing acts of kindness produces oxytocin in the body, occasionally referred to as the “love hormone,” which aids in lowering blood pressure and improving overall heart health.

2 – Kindness is contagious. Researchers at Standford University found that acts of kindness make others significantly more likely to pay it forward, causing it “to spread like a virus.”

3 – Kindness boosts your happiness. A 2010 Harvard Business School survey of happiness, conducted in 136 countries, found that people who demonstrated altruistic behavior were the happiest overall.

4 – Kindness boosts your energy levels. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation points to more research that indicates kindness increases one’s energy levels, as well as contributes to the phenomenon called the “helper’s high,” in which the brain’s pleasure and reward centers light up in the person doing the good deed.