Kindness is more than just actions, according to the Mayo Clinic’s “Art of Kindness” post. The art of kindness means acting in a spirit of mutual assistance, being generous, caring, and expecting nothing in return. Kindness is a quality of being. The act of giving kindness is often simple, free, positive, and healthy.
In today’s society, more than ever, we need to focus on respecting our own cultural diversity and demonstrating it through kindness and empathy. What a better way to approach life than by focusing on the negative aspects of others. Kindness benefits us emotionally and physically.
Much of today’s column repeats what I wrote in 2020. When we work individually and foster kindness and empathy for others, it benefits the nation as a whole. Provides physical and emotional health benefits. The physical and emotional benefits of kindness are:
1. Kindness releases feel-good hormones
Doing acts of kindness for others releases the so-called happiness hormone, which increases serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of well-being and contentment. Endorphin levels also rise, leading to a phenomenon known as a “helper’s high.” Psychologists have identified typical states of euphoria reported by people engaged in charity work. They call it “Helper’s High,” and the theory is that giving it produces endorphins in the brain, resulting in a mild positive euphoria.
2. Kindness eases anxiety
Another physical benefit of kindness is that it helps reduce anxiety. is related to Her four-week study on well-being at the University of British Columbia found that participants who engaged in acts of kindness showed a significant increase in sustained PA levels during the study period.
3. Kindness helps alleviate and even prevent illness
Inflammation in the body is associated with many health problems, including chronic pain, diabetes, cancer, obesity, and migraines. Volunteering as an act of kindness, at least for older generations, may help reduce inflammation. showed the strongest association with lower levels of inflammation.” Oxytocin also reduces inflammation, and even the slightest act of kindness can trigger the release of oxytocin.
Kindness releases the hormone oxytocin. According to Dr. David Hamilton, the release of this hormone “… lowers blood pressure. Oxytocin is known as the ‘cardioprotective’ hormone because it protects the heart (by lowering blood pressure). “
4. Kindness lowers stress levels
Helping others helps you get outside of yourself, and taking a break from the stressors in your own life can help you build relationships with others. It will also make you better prepared to deal with high traffic situations.
Behaviors that help build bonds with other people are known as “affiliative behaviors.” And one study of the effects of prosocial behavior (behavior intended to help others) found that “friendly behavior may be an important factor in coping with stress, and that engaging in prosocial behavior We show that reducing stress can be an effective strategy for reducing stress: the effects of stress on emotional functioning.”
Furthermore, when you establish a “friendly connection”—friendship, love, or any other positive bond—with someone, you feel an emotion that can boost your immune system. It seems to increase , improve relationships and connections, and thus indirectly improve health.
5. Summary and Impressions
Kindness and empathy help us relate to other people and build more positive relationships with friends, family, and even complete strangers we meet in our daily lives. , it is clear that being kind and helpful has a positive and uplifting effect on the person performing the act.” Those who give tend to live healthier and longer lives.
As our country enters a period of uncertainty in 2023, let us not forget the importance of focusing on the positive. Related approaches include mindfulness and emotional health, among others. Both help deal with ongoing social problems.
I hope 2023 will be more positive by spreading small acts of kindness to yourself and others. The additive effects of these acts, little by little, can go a long way toward leading a healthier lifestyle and improving your quality of life.
Many thanks to happens.com magazine for the content provided in this column.
References and additional resources
For a quick rundown on how kindness affects happiness, check out “Health Facts” by Random Acts of Kindness, a non-profit dedicated to kindness education, at dartmouth.edu.
Check out the Mayo Clinic Health Systems link “The Art of Kindness”. This includes an offer to consider joining Mayo Clinic Health System’s Kickstart Kindness Program to start your kindness journey at Mayoclinichealthsystem.org.
Mark Mahoney has been a registered dietitian/nutritionist for over 35 years and has a graduate degree in public health from Columbia University. His contact is he marqos69@hotmail.com.
