“I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.  J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

 Have you ever been amazed by a person’s kind gesture toward you?

Last Christmastime I came out of the grocery store loaded down with all the ingredients I would need for my Christmas baking. I was thinking about my favorite nephew who wanted dozens and dozens of cookies. Most everyone couldn’t wait for my delicious peanut butter fudge. And my brother would sell his son for my caramel popcorn. Just as I opened the hatch to put in the groceries, a man suddenly came up behind me with a beautiful little poinsettia plant. He handed it to me and said, with a handsome smile, “Merry Christmas!” Well! Just like I have never in my life won a raffle, I have never gotten something from a total stranger out of pure kindness!

We are social creatures, and kindness helps connect us to each other in pleasant, supportive ways. Kindness can improve a person’s capacity for compassion and empathy, which strengthens
relationships. Having good relationships with friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors has many health benefits. We thrive when we feel like we belong.

Being kind doesn’t require grand gestures and can be contagious, too. If you smile at someone, that person is more likely to smile back or to smile at someone else. Even small acts of kindness have ripple effects and add up over time. It can be simple things, like opening the door for someone or saying hello, or simply looking them in the eye. But kindness does require intentionality. Don’t just ask people how
they are. Stop and listen to the answer.

Kindness is more than just a moral virtue; it’s a powerful catalyst for improving both mental and physical
wellbeing in yourself and those with whom you are sharing. Acts of kindness can reduce stress, increase happiness, improve relationships and enhance mental health. Kindness truly is a powerful tool for a better life.

A number of studies have shown that kindness to self and others strengthens our physical, social, and
emotional well-being. In one study, helping others through volunteering was connected to a reduction in
pain – physical and emotional. Self-compassion has also been associated with lower levels of pain disability. Nurses have reported feeling healthier physically and emotionally after showing brief
loving-kindness practices, as little as 7 to 15 minutes a day. When we feel happier, we tend to want to help others.

Kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a hormone directly related to stress levels. Kindness can positively change your brain by boosting levels of serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters produce feelings of satisfaction and well-being and cause the pleasure and reward centers in your brain to light up. Endorphins, your body’s natural painkiller, also may be released when you show kindness.

So, to try to wrap this all up in a pretty bow: people who give of themselves in a balanced way just may live
a healthier and longer life. Why not add a little more kindness to your life and others. What have you got to lose?

Need some help with that? For more information, contact Youthful Aging Home Care 

Lani Kelly is a research writer for Youthful Aging Home Care.