10 Nov Do You Underestimate the Impact of Being Kind?
There’s a famous saying that goes … if you can be anything, be kind.
Kindness is a super-power; an attitude and action that’s good for ALL involved.
Being kind contributes to happiness and wellbeing, to connection and so much more! To really appreciate all it’s benefits, read on … .
via The Greater Good by Jill Suttie
Now and then, I give up my spot in the grocery line to a stranger. Or, if a friend is in the hospital, I’ll surprise them by sending flowers. These random acts of kindness—given without expectation of thanks or reciprocity—feel good in the moment and help connect me to my community.
But, if random kindnesses spread so much positivity, why don’t we do them more often? Findings from a recent study conducted by Amit Kumar of the University of Texas at Austin and Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago suggest one possible reason: We may be underestimating how nice it is to receive kindness.
In several experiments within the study, Kumar and Epley gave people opportunities to act in a variety of kind ways, both with strangers and with people they knew. In one experiment, for instance, researchers went to a public ice rink on a cold day and handed people a cup of hot chocolate, telling them they could keep it for themselves or give it to a random stranger at the rink. The people who gave theirs away first reported how much happier they were than usual, then predicted how much happier the stranger would be receiving the drink from them (knowing someone had given it up for them). Next, the researchers delivered the hot chocolate, telling the recipients that it was a gift from a stranger and querying them about how they felt.
In similar experiments, people gave away cupcakes meant for themselves, wrote nice notes to other people they knew, or practiced random kindnesses for classmates (like surprising them with a cup of coffee or paying for their meal at a cafe).
In every experiment, those who were kind to another person underestimated how much happier recipients would feel. And it didn’t seem to matter what type of kindness they offered—how big it was or whether it involved an action taken or a material gift—or whether the recipient was known or not by the giver. Kind people were always off in their predictions of how much others appreciated their gesture…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE