How Acts of Kindness Improve Mental Health

Kindness is a simple yet powerful act. You can extend it by doing something as simple as holding the door open for someone, wishing them a good morning, or leaving a little note to let them know you are thinking of them. These actions are simple yet have a profound effect on mental health that is often unnoticed.

Today’s hustle culture results in increasing mental health challenges. Kindness offers a meaningful way to overcome life’s hurdles by improving your coping skills. This article explores the science behind acts of kindness and their positive effects on mental health.

This article will help you better understand the strength of kindness and learn how to incorporate more simple gestures of kindness into your everyday routine. 

The science of kindness

The brain releases four key neurotransmitters when you experience positive feelings, such as happiness, achievement, compassion, and so on. They are commonly known as the feel-good chemicals.  

Kindness plays a significant role in boosting the release of these chemicals when practicing kindness and receiving kindness.

• Oxytocin. Also known as the “bonding hormone,” is important in developing strong relationships with people. Oxytocin strengthens trust, empathy, generosity, and connection. In addition, oxytocin reduces cortisol levels, the body’s stress hormone. Low cortisol results in a calm, relaxed headspace.
• Dopamine. Kindness stimulates the brain’s pleasure and reward pathway. Dopamine induces feelings of happiness and satisfaction. This reinforces behaviors associated with kindness, driving you to continue doing it. By reinforcing positive feedback loops, dopamine lowers the perception of a challenge and reduces overwhelming feelings.
• Serotonin. This is a mood-regulating chemical that helps keep you feeling happy and relaxed. As a core neurotransmitter, serotonin reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. When you receive kindness, such as affectionate gestures, serotonin calms you down and makes you feel happy and comforted.
• Endorphins. Kindness is a natural painkiller and mood booster. The combination of chemicals released during acts of kindness creates a “helper’s high,” which leaves you feeling euphoric.

Mental health benefits of kindness

Whether you are on the receiving end or the giving end of the stick, kindness can help mitigate daily stressors and build emotional resilience. In the long term, the act of kindness benefits mental health and your overall well-being. 

Kindness fosters a better quality of life by increasing feelings of connectedness, boosting self-esteem and confidence, and uplifting positive emotions. 

Increased sense of connection

The past few years saw an increase in the number of people experiencing loneliness. Coined as the silent epidemic, the impact of loneliness continues to grow. But kindness may be the medicine.

Kindness increases the sense of connection, helping individuals create, maintain, and strengthen social bonds by reducing social isolation. 

Additionally, research suggests that altruistic acts increase recipients’ feelings of social trust, empathy, and optimism regarding human nature. Altruistic acts go beyond affecting the recipients; individuals who observe acts of kindness may influence others to participate in altruistic behaviors. 

Whether simply sharing a kind smile, volunteering, or listening to a friend, these warm interactions create a cycle of positivity for you and the recipient.  

Read more: Why Kindness Matters 

Boosted self-esteem and confidence

Over time, extending kindness toward others changes how you view yourself. For example, you may feel accomplished when you help another team meet an important deadline or support a friend in need. This feeling of accomplishment gradually replaces self-doubt and reinforces self-worth with pride and competence.

A study found that individuals who practice acts of kindness report greater self-confidence than others who engage in alternative positive behaviors, such as participating in extraverted activities, self-care, and nurturing open-mindedness.

Kindness allows individuals to meet the needs of others and express gratitude, which bolsters the sense of purpose and meaning felt. This develops stronger perceptions of self, such as confidence, worthiness, and self-image. 

Greater overall happiness

Small acts of kindness are a great way to improve your mood and happiness.

A study highlights the relationship between practicing kindness and happiness –counting the number of kindness acts conducted over one week enhances happiness. Helping others can shift your focus from personal challenges and encourage gratitude and self-awareness.

Furthermore, kindness creates a ripple effect. When you make someone’s day, you increase the likelihood of spreading positivity, kindness, and happiness to their next interactions. 

Volunteering at a senior center can alleviate worries and transform one’s perspective on challenges. Small acts of kindness enhance connection and restore purpose by directing energy toward meaningful interactions.  

This positive feedback loop encourages a long-lasting cycle of happiness and altruism. Giving to others makes you happier than spending on yourself. Practicing kindness over the long term develops joy, gratitude, and emotional resilience. 

How to integrate acts of kindness into your life

Cultivating kindness as an everyday habit can be quite challenging. However, a great place to start is with intentional steps that become part of your daily routine. Here are some tips:

Start small

Begin small with acts of kindness that don’t seem too grandiose but are simple yet continue to make a huge difference. You can try the following: 

• Phone a friend. Call a friend that you haven’t talked to in a while.
• Use humor. Send someone a joke to make them laugh and make their day.
• Extend your gratitude. Write a thank you note to someone you are grateful for.
• Wear your compliments on your sleeve. Give a genuine compliment to someone.
• Donate to a cause. Support your local charity or non-profit organizations that aid community wellbeing.

These kindness activities are easy to implement into your daily lifestyle while remaining effective in building meaningful connections and bolstering your positivity.  

Make a kindness routine

Consistency is crucial to the process. The benefits of practicing kindness require continuous habits that reinforce kindness.

Incorporate kindness into daily tasks to make it a habit. For example, send a kind message to someone when you have your morning coffee, or create a kindness jar that randomly assigns a kindness act daily. 

Kindness habits can be added as part of your routine by applying practices that can aid in goal setting. Try these tips: 

• Identify what causes matter to you. Reflect on the causes and issues that you are genuinely passionate about, and set a kindness goal related to these areas.
• Be action-oriented. Focus on actionable ways to incorporate your kindness goal into your daily life.
• Create SMART goals. To ensure practicality, aim for goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Progress tracking is also made simple by using daily journaling prompts like “Describe a random act of kindness you did today and how it affected your mood.” You can also use applications such as Streaks and HabitNow.

Spread kindness online

As social media takes its place in today’s world, kindness needn’t be restricted to face-to-face interactions.

Online interactions are laced with negativity, causing mental health challenges. PEW found that 64% of Americans find that social media has a negative effect due to misinformation, hate, harassment, and extremism. 

Kindness online plays a vital role in uplifting modern society digitally by its effect on psychological well-being. For example, sharing support online or posting kind and positive words can help alleviate your stress levels as well as others. Another example is sharing kind words on a post fosters a sense of belonging.   Here are more tips:

• Spread positivity in your interactions online. Share positive messages, comments, and videos with your circle.
• Share your support online. Social media is a platform to share announcements and life achievements. Share your support by sending a kind message encouraging or celebrating success.
• Be mindful of your tone and language online. Ensure your communication is kind and considerate to avoid being misunderstood as being disrespectful, rude, and harsh.
• Reframe disagreements respectfully. Practice kindness even when you disagree about specific issues discussed online.
• Avoid engaging in flame wars. Online arguments or flame wars can be exacerbated quickly, resulting in negative feelings of anger and frustration.

In conclusion

Kindness is not just about integrity and morality; it’s a transformative force for well-being. Kindness and mental health go hand in hand, lowering immediate stressors and increasing happiness, self-worth, and confidence in the long term. 

While this article explored the science of kindness, its benefits for holistic well-being, and practical methods for incorporating kindness, you have to take the first step toward making it part of your everyday life. By committing to showing kindness, you can create a wave of positivity that embraces you and the world. 

So why wait? Begin today by holding the door open for a stranger or writing a small thank you note for your loved one. These small acts of kindness could be a simple way to start your journey toward a happier, healthier you.

If you would like to see more resources on kindness, check out the Wellbeing Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other tools. Visit the Wellbeing Science Labs today.

Photo by Freepik