Wouldn't it be great if there was something you could easily do to be happier at any time you choose? What if this same something cost you nothing, required no training, and took very little time and effort?
Surprisingly, such a thing does exist and you can start to use it as soon as you finish this article. Not a magic wand nor a new incarnation of Aladdin's Lamp, this happiness and healthiness tool is available with each act of kindness and generosity you provide for someone else.
Acts of Kindness and Generosity
Philosophers, religious leaders, and notable writers have chronicled the virtues of acts of kindness and generosity. Being kind to others simply feels good. As Rabbi Harold Kushner said (When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Anchor Books, 1981), "When you carry out acts of kindness you get a wonderful feeling inside. It is as though something inside your body responds and says, yes, this is how I ought to feel."
The Dalai Lama put it simply, "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion (kindness toward others). If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
The Science of Helping Others
Now scientists are chiming in with confirming evidence from research studies proving that helping others by doing acts of kindness helps you, too. Allan Luks (The Healing Power of Doing Good, Fawcett Columbine, 1991) indicates these benefits of helping others:
- Helping others brings a rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm.
- Kind acts reduce stress.
- Helping others can enhance joyfulness, emotional resilience, and vigor.
- Kind acts increase the sense of self worth, happiness, and optimism.
Positive psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky (The How of Happiness, Penguin Press, 2007) reports on studies linking acts of kindness, helping others, and happiness as "...kindness study confirmed for us, once again, that doing acts of kindness on a regular basis makes people happy for an extended period."
Acts of Kindness Ideas
It's so easy to be kind to another person. Examples of simple, low effort acts of kindness include:
- Friendly smiles
- Generously yielding your position in queue to someone else
- Listening to someone and really hearing him
- Sincerely appreciating routine interactions with those providing you services
- Thanking co-workers for their contributions
Routinely Helping Others Helps You Too
Practicing acts of kindness, helping others, and generosity helps you, too. Benefits include being happier, feeling better about yourself, and relieving stress. Lyubomirsky indicates studies show that the greatest benefits accrue to those who routinely practice kindness and generosity by integrating helping others into your daily life.
Jerry Lopper - IPPA member, business and engineering degrees. Jerry's passion for personal development shows in 5 books, hundreds of articles & ...
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