Kindness is Contagious

Among the benefits of kindness is the positive psychological gain for giver and receiver. When we see someone else help another person, it gives us a good feeling, which in turn causes us to do something altruistic. Research has shown that generosity and kindness are contagious.

American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

Said Sasha Azevedo, an American actress, athlete and model, “You can gain more friends by being yourself than you can by putting up a front. You can gain more friends by building people up than you can by tearing them down. And you can gain more friends by taking a few minutes from each day to do something kind for someone, whether it is a friend or a complete stranger. What a difference one person can make!”

Researchers think kindness gives people a strong sense that they are doing something that matters. According to Sonya Lyubomirsky, a professor at the University of California at Riverside, “There are a lot of positive social consequences to being kind — other people appreciate you, they’re grateful and they might reciprocate.”

Here are several ideas on how to spread kindness:

* Compliment your server at a restaurant on the good job that he did and relay your thoughts to the manager.

* Send someone a hand-written note of thanks, a get-well card or a greeting such as, “Have a good day and pass it on.”

* Make a gift to a charity, church or someone in need.

* Buy beverages for someone sitting at another table in a restaurant.

* Tell your postman and newspaper delivery person how much you appreciate their service.

* Give up your seat for someone, not just an elderly person.

* Smile a lot.