presentation of kindness

30 quotes about kindness to uplift and spread positivity

You have probably heard the age-old saying , "treat others the way you want to be treated" (or something similar) at least once in your life. The adage is so universal that it has become known as "the Golden Rule."

A gentle touch can go a long way, whether it's directed toward yourself or others. You never know what your words of kindness could mean for someone else. Life isn't always easy, but when you receive encouragement and hope from others, it might make the road less bumpy.

Here is a compiled list of quotes about kindness to help spread positivity:

30 kindness quotes

• "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle." – Plato
• "Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice." – Roy T. Bennett , "The Light in the Heart"
• "Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." – Scott Adams
• "Being kind means responding to the needs of others – and people can be kind, no matter how old or young we are." – Mr. Rogers
• "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." – Edith Wharton
• "Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution." – Kahlil Gibran
• "But compassion isn't about solutions. It's about giving all the love that you've got." – Cheryl Strayed , "Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar"
• "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• "Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle." – Charles F. Glassman
• "Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness." – R.J. Palacio , "Wonder"
• "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." – Aesop
• "If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." – Jack Kornfield
• "Kindness and politeness are not overrated at all. They’re underused." – Tommy Lee Jones
• "One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone." – Shannon L. Adler
• "The true greatness of a person, in my view, is evident in the way he or she treats those with whom courtesy and kindness are not required." – Joseph B. Wirthlin
• "Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind." – Eric Hoffer
• "Hate ricochets, but kindness does too." – Robin Roe , "A List of Cages"
• "The shortest distance between two people is a smile." – Victor Borge
• "There is no small act of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world." – Mary Anne Radmacher
• "Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud." – Maya Angelou , "Letter to My Daughter"
• "Be true to yourself, be kind to yourself, read and learn about everything that interests you, and keep away from people who bring you down." – Steve Maraboli
• "How beautiful a day can be, when kindness touches it." – George Elliston
• "When we know ourselves to be connected to all others, acting compassionately is simply the natural thing to do." – Rachel Naomi Remen
• "A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve." – Joseph Joubert
• "The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty and truth." – Albert Einstein , "The World As I See It"
• "Kindness can transform someone's dark moment with a blaze of light." – Amy Leigh Mercree
• "Always try to be a little kinder than is necessary." – J.M. Barrie
• "There is nothing so rewarding as to make people realize that they are worthwhile in this world." – Bob Anderson
• "We rise by lifting others." – Robert Ingersoll
• "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." – Maya Angelou

Looking for more positive vibes? 50 motivational quotes for peak inspiration.

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Introducing the ‘Kindness Curriculum’

• Research shows that organizations that encourage kindness have more productive and engaged employees, see lower levels of burnout, and enjoy better financial performance.
• To show students the value of prosocial behaviors in business contexts, George Mason University’s Costello College of Business began integrating a “kindness curriculum” into its Business Foundations courses.
• Educators at other institutions can jump-start kindness movements on their own campuses by designing dedicated assignments and modeling caring behaviors.

  The professional world is waking up to the fact that promoting kindness is serious business. A raft of research studies has found that  kindness is an essential ingredient  for successful organizational cultures,  fostering compassion  among employees;  encouraging prosocial behavior ; and fostering trust,  well-being , and inclusivity. In turn, these elements are directly linked to a host of  positive business outcomes , including enhanced worker productivity and engagement, lower levels of burnout, and increased financial performance.

For business educators, such findings are perhaps doubly important. As we try to inculcate caring and compassion in the next generation of organizational leaders, we also must build and reinforce cultures of kindness within our own educational institutions.

With this understanding, we have prioritized initiatives to accomplish both objectives at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. For example, as teaching faculty within the Business Foundations area, we are incorporating kindness-based modules and exercises into the core courses in our area. These efforts, which we call our “kindness curriculum,” are designed to complement the broader-scale “ Mason Chooses Kindness ” (MCK) program that is ongoing in our college and university.

In a previous  article  in AACSB Insights , we described how Costello is taking the lead among George Mason University’s 10 academic units in implementing MCK. Below, we discuss how we deploy this curriculum, which is a key pillar of Costello’s MCK pilot program.

Kindness on the Syllabus

Our coursework in Costello’s Business Foundations area takes a holistic approach, looking at business through individual, societal, and contextual lenses. We viewed two required Business Foundations courses, in particular, as natural places to integrate kindness pedagogy into the curriculum: Developing Professional Skills I (BUS 103) and II (BUS 303).

The first course centers on cultivating awareness of what it means to be professional, as well as kickstarting long-term career planning. The second builds on these themes, with an additional emphasis on interpersonal elements such as business ethics and professional judgment. Both serve as entry points through which we can present the concept of kindness not as a warm-and-fuzzy “nice-to-have” mindset, but as an increasingly necessary part of mainstream professional practice.

Our first forays into the kindness curriculum have been deliberately meaningful yet manageable. In BUS 103, for instance, we ask students to perform small acts of kindness either toward themselves or someone else in their lives (not necessarily from the Costello community). So far, our students have performed good deeds such as tutoring struggling classmates, smiling at strangers, cooking a meal for friends, and giving money to people in need.

Afterward, we ask students to reflect in writing about how performing these acts made them feel and how it changed the way they felt about kindness. Students also think about what possible benevolent acts they might perform in the future.

In these reflections, one student wrote about helping an immigrant, who had recently arrived from Vietnam, use the self-checkout and discount apps at a local grocery store. This simple moment of humanity between two strangers prompted the student, also of Vietnamese origin, to think of her mother and the difficulties she faced in adjusting to life in the United States. To be sure, this student might have done the same good deed without the assignment. Nonetheless, our curriculum converted what could have been an automatic activity into an opportunity for serious thought about her core values and family history.

One hallmark of institutionalized kindness is an organizational culture that prizes and promotes well-being. Therefore, our learners explore what it would mean to situate kindness within a business context.

“I felt a sense of joy and gratefulness knowing that in some small way, I did make a change in someone’s life,” the student wrote. To us, this quote exemplifies the qualities of empathy and perspective-taking, which are key components of kindness in action.

As stated above, one hallmark of institutionalized kindness is an organizational culture that prizes and promotes well-being. Therefore, in BUS 303, learners explore what it would mean to situate kindness within a business context.

In this course, students research professional skills (such as the art of giving and receiving feedback, ethical reasoning and decision-making, cultural intelligence, mentorship, or leadership) necessary for today's workplace—the objective is for students to become class subject matter experts on their chosen topics. They must prepare several presentations about their subjects, with each presentation tailored for a different audience. For example, for one presentation, they were asked to write explainer articles about how well-being as a skill can enhance the George Mason University community and beyond.

Students are asked to write these articles for inclusion in the  Thriving Together Series , which is published through George Mason’s  Center for the Advancement of Well-Being  (although students can opt not to share their work outside the classroom).

One such article that appeared in the series is “ Why Well-Being Increases Productivity ,” written by students Jenny Bolanos, Aneeqa Tajammal, Valeria Santana, and Naser Al-Rafaih. In it, the team looks at aspects of physical, financial, and mental well-being that materially impact employee performance.

The assignment furthers several of our pedagogical goals: It increases students’ familiarity with professional tools and skills; it builds their rhetorical awareness (their ability to adapt language based on the audience, context, and purpose); and it offers them the opportunity to address the business case for kindness.

Kindness in Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is an especially important topic at the Costello College of Business and one that is regularly discussed in the classroom. With that focus as inspiration, Gretchen Hendricks, a co-author of this article, had the idea to show students how the college’s kindness curriculum could find expression in an entrepreneurial venture.

Hendricks conceived the concept for a socially conscious networking app called  ThreeWishes , a platform that personalizes the giving experience through purposeful acts of kindness. Users could post requests for help from the community, and anyone able to give could fulfill the requests of others. She then asked learners in her BUS 303 course to draft a business plan that included revenue projections, operating expenses, and competitive analysis. The objective was to turn ThreeWishes into a viable early-stage venture.

As a classroom exercise, ThreeWishes was a meaningful extension of the kindness curriculum, challenging students to identify and explore market opportunities around prosocial behavior while also honing general business knowledge. Hendricks also hopes to turn the idea into reality by launching a pilot of ThreeWishes within the Costello and George Mason communities.

A ‘Kindness Curriculum’ Framework

The campuswide MCK program and Costello’s MCK pilot paved the way for the design of our curriculum. While not every academic institution will provide such a critical context, educators still can do a lot on their own to jump-start a kindness movement in their classrooms, especially within core courses such as BUS 103 and BUS 303.

To spark more conversations around this topic, we recently gave presentations at two conferences: the 2023  Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference  held by George Mason University’s Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning, and the 2024  Conference on the First-Year Experience  held by the University of South Carolina’s National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

During our presentations, we posed this question to attendees: “What could kindness look like in your teaching?” While they considered this, we suggested six areas where educators can expose learners to the idea via targeted modules, materials, and assignments:

Pedagogical approaches. Educators can incorporate appropriate themes and styles into classroom norms. For example, they can address the interpersonal implications of business questions to remind learners that business decisions often have consequences that resonate far beyond the walls of any one company.

In addition, educators can themselves model and highlight compassion and caring in their classrooms. For example, they might consider pausing lessons more frequently—particularly more difficult ones—to ensure that learners are keeping pace, or they might create atmospheres of psychological safety in their classrooms to diminish students’ fears of asking “dumb questions.”

Breakthroughs can happen when educators invite students to investigate the positive effects of kindness and create resources for others to use.

Dedicated content and assignments. Teachers can be on the lookout for ways to add dimensions to standard assignments. Breakthroughs can happen when educators invite students to investigate the positive effects of kindness and create resources for others to use.

For example, we know that firms that are seen as benevolent tend to  enjoy stronger growth . With that in mind, students could be required to add a “kindness reputational scale” when evaluating a company’s fitness for investment.

Classroom activities and discussions. In-class projects and workshops can be ideal venues for putting kindness into practice. Even holding space for spontaneous compassionate acts can be an effective teaching tool. In our previous AACSB Insights article, we mentioned how one of Hendricks’ students dashed out of class after learning that a classmate was experiencing food insecurity, returning ten minutes later with two gift cards for that classmate. That moment likely would not have happened if Hendricks had not created space for such discussions in her course.

Student mentorship. Widespread mentorship is another characteristic of kindness-based cultures. Mentoring relationships could consist of learners exchanging expertise or educators actively guiding students on their career development paths. These relationships help cultivate a trusting and inclusive environment on campus, while promoting compassionate practices that learners will take into the workplace after they graduate.

Extracurricular activities. Putting these concepts into practice and experiencing the beneficial effects needn’t be confined to campus. After all, a  growing number of learners  utilize online and asynchronous options, coming on campus rarely, if at all. Like those at many other universities, students at George Mason lead busy lives that often include part-time employment in addition to their coursework. Their jobs and side hustles could serve as laboratories where they can see firsthand (and reflect upon) the changes that kind behaviors can make in professional contexts.

Of course, community service is another way for students to sample the transformative power of kindness in action. Students who have more free time can be encouraged to support causes they care about by volunteering in the community.

Research. Finally, educators can ask students to delve into scientific research about the impact of kindness. Relevant studies are virtually unanimous on the positive benefits for organizations and society, so any lingering notions that students might have about “soft,” caring approaches being out of place in business will likely disappear.

Where to Start?

Even if support for such initiatives is spotty at their academic institutions, educators still can introduce kindness on the pedagogical periphery. By simply adding kindness/inclusivity statements to their syllabi, faculty can set expectations and give students an unobtrusive introduction to the topic. Educators also can offer students opportunities for volunteering or otherwise performing caring acts as another means of positive reinforcement.

We should never forget that, as professors, we are more influential than we may think. Integrating kindness-based content into our courses—and, of course, modeling positive behaviors—will go a long way toward inspiring our students. Through such actions, we also might provide inspiration to the academic community writ large.

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James McBride at the NBF: “Love is the greatest … novel ever written.”

August 27, 2024

Posted by: Neely Tucker

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James McBride , winner of the Library’s 2024 Prize for American Fiction , took the main stage at the National Book Festival last weekend, delighting a rapturous crowd with anecdotes and observations about his bestselling books and his remarkable writing career.

A Washington Post journalist early on, and a professional musician for years, McBride did not write his first book until his mid-30s — and that was the “The Color of Water,” a memoir that has sold millions of copies all over the world.

“I like people, I listen to people,” he said at Saturday’s event. “… and I happen to look to the kindness in people. And when you look to the kindness in people, you see their depth.”

He pulled a small notebook from a pocket to show he always carries one to jot down names, ideas and quotes he overhears in everyday conversation, which he then uses or approximates in his fiction.

“People are just handing me money when they talk,” he said.

It was that kind of wry remark, delivered with perfect comic timing, that delighted the audience through his nearly hourlong presentation. Smart, insightful and thoughtful, McBride got his biggest laughs when being down to earth. When asked by moderator Michel Martin of NPR how he was handling being the Fiction Prize winner and the festival’s marquee attraction, McBride — seated, with his legs crossed, on a raised stage in front of nearly 3,000 people — looked down and said, “Well, I wish I’d worn some longer socks so that people can’t see my ankles.”

A 66-year-old native New Yorker and a distinguished writer-in-residence at New York University, McBride went to New York City public schools, studied music composition at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and got his master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University.

After an impressive music career — he composed songs for Anita Baker and toured as a saxophone player for jazz singer Jimmy Scott — the success of “Water” led him to pursue writing full time. He has written eight books, most of them fiction. “The Good Lord Bird,” winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction, was a freewheeling retelling of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. His most recent novel, “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store,” set in the Black section of a small Pennsylvania town in the 1930s, was awarded the 2023 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and named the 2023 Book of the Year by Barnes & Noble. His previous novel, “Deacon King Kong,” was an Oprah’s Book Club selection.

He was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama in 2015 for “for humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America.”

His books have “have pierced through American psyche and culture,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, introducing him on Saturday. “He connects diverse people in his thought-provoking and poignant art, taking us on an emotional joyride in his stories.”

“The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” is vintage McBride, telling a small-town story about people whose actions are sometimes questionable but whose humanity is not.

The narrative centers around a modest store run by a Jewish woman in the Black community called Chicken Hill on the outskirts of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, in the 1930s. Hardworking Black and Jewish people, ignored or insulted by the town’s white founders and leaders, get by as best they can.

Community life takes a turn when a 12-year-old orphaned, nearly deaf Black boy is blamed for assaulting a white doctor who is, as everyone knows, a leader in the local Ku Klux Klan. The child is sent to a horrific asylum for the mentally ill, drawing the cast of characters together.

The book grew from McBride’s teenage experiences working as a summer counselor at a camp for neuro-divergent children. He learned, he said on Saturday, that “disabled” people were actually marvelous observers of life around them, as nearly everyone discounted and ignored them.

“It changed my life,” he said of the experience, adding later: “If your job is to find the humanity in people, look to the differently abled.”

McBride, as he wrote about so poignantly in his now-classic memoir, was mostly raised by his mother, a Jewish woman who passed herself off as “light skinned” in their Black neighborhood. As a child, when he asked her what color God was, she replied, “the color of water,” giving the book its title and McBride his concept of universal acceptance.

“Love is the greatest,” he said in closing. “It’s the greatest novel ever written.”

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Comments (4)

Thanks to Neely Tucker for introducing us to James McBride. The Color of Water is now on my must-read list.

It’s an excellent read!

Is there a way to hear this session on line?

Always check out our YouTube channel to see if the Library’s live events are taped for online broadcast (many are). Here’s a link to the main stage of Saturday’s Book Festival. The MeBride session starts around 2 hours, 8 mins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKbscwQ9lQY

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Empathy and Kindness

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Empathy is the ability to feel and understand the emotions and experiences of others, while kindness involves showing compassion and doing good deeds for others. These qualities often go hand-in-hand, as being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes can inspire acts of kindness and understanding. What do studies tell us about this? Perhaps you'd like to make a summary of them and give a presentation that opens everyone's hearts (metaphorically, of course). For a better result in our opinion, we've opted for a hand-written font for the titles, illustrations of leaves and hearts, and the use of pink as contrast.

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Why Kindness Matters

Boosts to life satisfaction and physical and mental well-being..

Posted March 8, 2023 | Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster

• What Is Resilience?
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• Showing up kindly for others benefits both parties.
• Kindness has the power to boost satisfaction, happiness, and physical and mental well-being.
• Each of us has the capacity to show up kindly and make a difference in the world of another.

Kindness is about showing up in the world with compassion and acting for the greater good of all. While being nice is about being polite, pleasant, and agreeable and doing what we think we should, kindness goes a step beyond.

Kind humans know that life is hard, messy, and complex. Yet they understand that people are doing their best with the tools, resources, and experience they carry. Charles Glassman captured this by saying, “Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle.”

Many people view kindness as a weakness, but it's quite the opposite. It is a sign of strength. It is moving from "me" to "we," seeing the bigger picture, and loaning someone your strength and support. Supporting someone by doing whatever you can, wherever you are, with whatever you have is a sign of who you are—a kind human.

Kindness is doing the things that may go without acknowledgment and thanks. Authentic and intentional kindness doesn’t expect anything in return. We can practice kindness for kindness’ sake, not for the personal gain or the approval of others.

Kindness is a universal language that can bring people together regardless of age, race, ethnicity , religion, status, and identity . The good news is that it’s completely free too! I don’t think the saying “kindness makes the world go ‘round” came about without reason.

Benefits of Kindness

Most of us will have heard that "doing good is good for you" or "it’s better to give than to receive." It may be a surprise to learn that the research genuinely supports this. When we show up for others kindly, the benefits go both ways. Practicing kindness for the sake of kindness is one of the greatest gifts we can give to others and ourselves.

Research shows that being kind boosts the production of the feel-good hormones (serotonin and dopamine ), which give feelings of satisfaction and well-being, and activate the pleasure and reward areas in the brain of the givers and receivers. Endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller, can also be released and contribute to a "helper’s high." Kindness also fosters our sense of belonging and helps us build and strengthen our relationships (Hamilton, 2017).

Research shows that performing acts of kindness and helping others improves the happiness of the helper (Curry et al., 2018; Hamilton, 2017). A study by Rowland and Curry (2019) found that people who performed kindness activities for seven days experienced greater happiness. The increase in happiness was true whether the social tie was a friend, family member, stranger, or themselves. As you might expect, the more kind activities one does, the greater the boost in happiness. Even just observing acts of kindness had positive effects on one’s happiness.

In his book, The Five Side Effects of Kindness , David Hamilton discusses how we experience the effects of kindness throughout our entire nervous system . He suggests that kindness is good for the heart because the warm feelings we get help to generate oxytocin , which can reduce our blood pressure and stress hormone, cortisol. He also supports the idea that kindness is contagious and how acting kindly can create a ripple effect and inspire others to do the same.

Ways to Practice Kindness

Here are some ways you can practice kindness:

• Be kind to yourself. In my last post , I talked about how we could all use a gentle reminder about being a little kinder to ourselves. For many of us, showing up kindly starts with repairing the relationship we have with ourselves. I provided some restorative and practical ideas for how we can start to show up kindly for ourselves. When we are kinder with ourselves, we are kinder to others.
• Practice the kindergarten basics. Manners, turn-taking, including others, and comforting that friend who fell and scraped their knee. A kind environment is the compound of many small, kind acts.
• Show gratitude . When we feel grateful, we need to share this with others. Recognize and bring attention to what uplifts you. Tell someone they are doing a great job. End your work week by emailing someone who helped you out that week. Text or call a loved one to tell them they make a difference in your life.
• Listen to understand, not respond or problem-solve . So often, when others are talking, we think about how we will reply or what solutions we will provide. The truth is that being present, and listening, is a form of showing the kindness that can make another feel heard, understood, and truly felt. Next time you ask someone how they are, hold space and really listen to what they have to say.

Being kind is about showing up as your true self and inviting others to come as they are, too. It is meeting yourself and others with compassion and understanding in the present moment. Each of us can be why someone believes there are good people in this world.

So, kindness might not make the world go 'round (we have momentum and gravity to thank for that), but kindness does certainly make the world a better place.

Think about the power that a kind gesture, a kind hand, a kind word, or a listening ear can have on someone in a moment when they feel like their world is crumbling. Think about the way that it can make an already-good day that much better. Now think about the positive impact on the giver’s physical and mental health. The power of kindness is remarkable.

We may never know just how big of an impact our small acts of kindness have on someone else. But we know that kind humans doing kind things are exactly what this unwell world needs more of.

Although it may not be your first time hearing this one, I will leave you with this final ask:

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” —Unknown

Facebook image: Aloha Hawaii/Shutterstock

LinkedIn image: Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock

Curry, O. S., Rowland, L. A., Van Lissa, C. J., Zlotowitz, S., McAlaney, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2018). Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76 , 320-329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.02.014

Hamilton, D. (2017). The five side effects of kindness: This book will make you feel better, be happier & live longer . Hay House UK.

Rowland, L., & Curry, O. S. (2019). A range of kindness activities boost happiness. The Journal of Social Psychology, 159 (3), 340-343. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2018.1469461

Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, Ed.D. , is a resiliency and wellness scholar and speaker, author of Calm Within the Storm and Stress Wisely , and award-winning instructor and adjunct professor at Trent University.

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Why Kindness Matters: The Importance of Being Kind

Think about the last time someone was kind to you. Maybe a stranger held the door open for you or someone you love offered to help with a task you found daunting. How did that make you feel? Valued? Worthy? Happy?

It’s no secret that being kind feels good. It makes us feel connected, appreciated, and happy. But what many of us don’t realise is that being kind is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves and for others.

What is kindness?

Let’s first take a moment to define what kindness is. Kindness is an intentional act of compassion, thoughtfulness, and understanding that involves treating others with respect and empathy. This can include anything from lending someone a helping hand, volunteering for a good cause, or simply smiling at strangers on the street.

When we’re kind, we’re recognising, listening to, and understanding the feelings of others. We’re also trying to make their lives better in some way. When we strive to include more kindness in our lives, we’re sending a powerful message to the world that we care – for ourselves and for others.

Why is kindness important?

There are many reasons why kindness is important . These include both the personal benefits of being kind and the impact of our kindness on others.

Personal benefits

• Kindness makes us happier. Kindness leads to happiness. Research shows that people who are kind are happier . The reverse is also true – happier people are kinder. And it makes sense when you think about it. When we’re kind, we’re focused on others. We’re not thinking about ourselves and our own problems. Our kind acts make others happier and witnessing that brings us joy. When we’re happy, we’re motivated to be kind and the cycle continues.
• Kindness strengthens our connections. When we are kind to others, we strengthen those bonds of connection that make us feel seen, appreciated and loved. When kindness is given and received, it creates a sense of trust and connection. People are more likely to want to spend time with us and help us out too. Kindness is also a critical aspect of emotional intelligence. It helps us to better understand and empathize with others, showing them that we care about their feelings and experiences. This helps to build trust, create meaningful human interaction, and develop strong relationships that last.
• Kindness improves our physical well-being. Practising kindness has been shown to have numerous physical health benefits. Kindness can reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure, and even boost our immune system! People who practice kindness live longer, healthier lives.
• Kindness makes us feel good about ourselves. Kindness helps to foster a sense of belonging and purpose. When we are kind, it reinforces our self-worth and importance and boosts our self-esteem. It reminds us that we have the power to make a positive impact in the lives of others, even if it’s in a small way. Kindness gives us the courage to stand up for what’s right. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that we are contributing to making the world a better place.
• We remember to practise self-kindness. When we’re kind to others, we’re more likely to remember to be kind to ourselves as well. When we show self-kindness, we are less hard on ourselves. We acknowledge our faults and accept that we’re imperfect. We forgive ourselves for our mistakes. Accepting that we’re imperfect reduces negative self-talk and thoughts. We develop a more positive mindset and our overall mental health improves. We become more resilient, as we allow ourselves to overcome personal failures and learn from these experiences rather than define ourselves by them. As a result, we become more confident, secure, and content with our lives.

The impact of our Kindness on Others

When we practice kindness, it doesn’t just help us. It helps those around us as well. Kindness can have a ripple effect, spreading from individual to individual and making a positive impact on the world.

• Kindness makes others feel good. Kind words, random acts of kindness, or even a genuine smile can brighten someone’s day and make them feel good. When we show kindness, it helps others to feel seen and appreciated. It lifts their spirits and encourages them to keep going when times are tough.
• Kindness makes others feel safe. Kindness can help to create a safe, supportive environment where people are free to express themselves and be their authentic selves. When we’re kind to others, it makes them feel secure in our presence. It’s easier for them to open up when they trust that they won’t be judged or ridiculed for their thoughts or ideas.
• Kindness inspires others to be kind. When people observe acts of kindness, it makes them want to be kind too. It encourages them to pass on the same kindness that was shown to them by paying it forward and doing nice things for others. They might even be inspired to do something that they wouldn’t have done before.
• Kindness creates a positive environment. When kindness is practised in the workplace, it creates a more collaborative and supportive environment. People are more likely to work together and help each other out when they feel supported and appreciated by their colleagues.

What are some simple ways to be kind?

With all the great reasons to be kind , how can we make kindness a part of everyday life? Here are some easy ways to be kind :

• Be considerate. Be mindful of how others are feeling and think before you speak or act. Do something that you know will benefit someone else, like holding the door open for someone carrying a heavy load or offering your seat on the bus.
• Offer a helping hand. If someone is struggling, step in and lend a helping hand. Offer to help with a task or problem that they’re trying to solve. Be generous with your time and resources, including your knowledge and skills.
• Show gratitude. Acknowledge and appreciate people for their efforts. Freely give compliments to those who deserve it and take the time to thank people for their help.
• Be patient. Don’t rush others or jump to negative conclusions when things don’t go as planned. Instead, take a deep breath and be patient with yourself and others.
• Be respectful. Always treat people with respect. Listen to what they have to say with an open mind and don’t talk down to them. Say please and thank you, and be polite to everyone.

As we practise these simple acts of kindness, remember that the importance of being kind is much greater than just making someone feel good. When we show kindness, it can have a positive ripple effect that changes the world for the better. In this way, even the smallest acts of kindness can have a big impact.

Final thoughts

Kindness is one of the most important things we can offer to others and ourselves. It makes us happier, healthier people, and it’s something that we should all try to cultivate in our everyday lives.

Showing kindness not only benefits those around us but also has a positive impact on our relationships, communities, and society as a whole. So whenever kindness is an option, always choose kindness . It matters.

a little dose of happy (aldohappy, “all do happy”) is a mission, mindset, and movement dedicated to spreading happiness throughout the world. 

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What does ‘kindness’ mean to you?

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Header menu - drawer | united kingdom, kindness matters guide.

We're all familiar with the saying “it's better to give than receive”. What might surprise you is that this is actually backed up by research.

Those of us who are kind and compassionate experience clear benefits to our well-being and happiness. We may even live longer. Kindness also helps reduce stress and improve our emotional well-being. 1,2

We all have so much going on in our lives - competing strains and stresses – not to mention the recent coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns. This has sometimes pushed kindness to one side, in favour of what is urgent now.

It can be easy to show kindness when posting online, but when it comes to reality it's harder to commit to kindness in our real-life words and actions.

By taking the time to be kind to others, we can benefit from emotional upsides. It really does make a difference, especially for people who are vulnerable or struggling.

With everything that's going on in the world, now is the time to help make a kinder society that improves our mental health.

Kindness should be built into business decisions, government policy, and other official systems in a way that supports everyone’s mental health and also reduces discrimination and inequality. That can start with individual commitments to showing kindness in our words and our actions.

This guide is written to demonstrate the positive effect that helping others can have on your own mental health, including some suggestions that will inspire you.

Take a few minutes, have a read, and think about doing something kind for a friend or a stranger today.

Mark Rowland, CEO of the Mental Health Foundation

What do we mean by kindness? 

Kindness is choosing to do something that helps others or yourself, motivated by genuine warm feelings. 

Kindness, or doing good, often means putting other people’s needs before our own. It could be by giving up our seat on a bus to someone who might need it more, or offering to make a cup of tea for someone at work.

Evidence shows that helping others can also benefit our own mental health and wellbeing. For example, it can reduce stress  as well as improve mood, self-esteem and happiness. 1–3 

There are so many ways to help others as part of our everyday lives. Good deeds needn’t take much time or cost any money.

Small changes can make a big difference. 

This guide gives you tips on how to bring kindness into your life. 

We will look in more detail at:  

• Volunteering 
• Doing something for a good cause 
• Acts of kindness 

What are the health benefits of kindness?

Helping others feels good.

Studies have found that acts of kindness are linked to increased feelings of well-being. 1  Helping others can also improve our support networks and encourage us to be more active. 4  This, in turn, can improve our self-esteem. 5  There is some evidence to suggest that when we help others, it can promote changes in the brain that are linked with happiness. 2

It creates a sense of belonging and reduces isolation

Helping others is thought to be one of the ways that people create, maintain, and strengthen their social connections. 

For example, volunteering and helping others can help us feel a sense of belonging, make new friends, and connect with our communities. 5,6

Face-to-face activities such as volunteering at a food bank can also help reduce loneliness and isolation. 6 

It helps to keep things in perspective

Many people don’t realise the impact a different perspective can have on their outlook on life.  

There is some evidence that being aware of our own acts of kindness, as well as the things we are grateful for, can increase feelings of happiness, optimism and satisfaction. 7,8     

Doing good may help you to have a more positive outlook about your own circumstances.

It helps to make the world a happier place – one act of kindness can often lead to more!

Acts of kindness can make the world a happier place for everyone. They can boost feelings of confidence, being in control, happiness and optimism. 8

They may also encourage others to repeat the good deeds they’ve experienced themselves – contributing to a more positive community. 9

The more you do for others, the more you do for yourself

The benefits of helping others can last long after the act itself, for those who offer kindness, and those who benefit. This, in turn, can improve our self-esteem. 5

Tips to remember before you start

Do something you enjoy.

At times like this we are learning to adapt to the requirements needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As a result we have had to rethink the way we do our hobbies, and pursue our interests.    

You might have treated a friend to a trip to the cinema or for dinner, but today, you can watch something on a streaming service and keep in touch by phone or gift them a takeaway instead. You could even gift a subscription to an entertainment service, magazine or drop off (safely) a simple care package.  

You can share your skills, such as offering to help with technology, sharing recipes, or sewing masks or scrubs for key workers. These are all great ways to bring your skills and interests to others.

Keep others in mind

Although acts of kindness for other people can make us feel good, we need to also keep in mind why we’re doing it – which is for their benefit, not ours.   

Part of being kind is considering the feelings of others, so it is very important that your kindness is something which others will find helpful. Kindness is something that needs to benefit both parties.  

See what you can do that others are not doing already. For example, if you want to donate to a foodbank, see what they need before buying things. If you want to support key workers, check that there is a need where you are. It may be that others in your community need help more urgently.

Don’t overdo it

It’s important to make sure we don’t overdo it!     

If we find we are giving too much of ourselves or have gone beyond our means, it’s probably time to take a step back. It’s very easy to give away all of our energy, especially if we are finding things hard ourselves and want to focus on others. Leave enough for you – kindness has to start with yourself.  

We recommend starting small, so we do not become overwhelmed or give more than we are financially able.  

Helping others doesn’t have to cost money or take a lot of time. It could start with calling a friend we haven’t spoken to in a while or donating a small amount of money monthly to a charity close to our heart and within our budget. 10 

Get involved with volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to help others and research shows that it benefits people of all ages, by increasing feelings of self-esteem, social connection, and well-being. 5

If you have friends or neighbours who are finding things difficult at the moment, see what you can do to help. 

If you have time, especially if you are furloughed from work, you could volunteer in your community if it’s safe for you to do so.

Here are some ideas about getting involved:

• Volunteer for a local community organisation
• Offer your expertise and support as a mentor for those who are struggling
• Check-in safely with a neighbour
• See if there’s anything you can do to support your children’s school or nursery – offer to read stories for example
• Involve your friends and neighbours in community projects
• Offer to skill-share with a friend - you could teach guitar, dance or a new recipe
• Call a friend that you haven’t spoken to for a while
• Tell a family member how much you love and appreciate them
• Offer a listening ear to someone who simply wants to talk

To find out more about volunteering opportunities, check out our suggested organisations at the end of this guide .

Do something for a good cause 

Getting involved with a cause that is close to your heart can be hugely beneficial for both the cause and your own sense of well-being. 4,10

For example, if you want to help protect the environment, you could get involved in a local tree-planting scheme. You could start by identifying a few local organisations to contact about how they can use volunteers.

There are lots of other ways you can get involved:

• Follow your chosen charity on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and join in the conversation
• Sign-up to receive your charity’s newsletter and keep up to date with the work they’re doing
• Plan a fundraising event in your local community or at work – you could try our Tea & Talk event, or a challenge event
• Raise money by taking part in a fun active challenge, such as a 5k run or walk in fancy dress, or maybe a themed sports day

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have fun with it! We have lots of ways to  get involved  with the Mental Health Foundation.

You can [email protected] or call 020 7803 1121. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @mentalhealthfoundation and Twitter @mentalhealth.

Acts of kindness

Acts of kindness have the potential to make the world a happier place. 1,7,8

We want to see a world where kindness is built into business decisions, government policy and official systems. However, we can start by individual commitment to showing kindness in our words and our actions. 

You might want to do something for someone else or take note if you experience an act of kindness.

Not sure where to start? We’ve put together some suggestions to help you out...

At home and in your community

• Call a friend who you haven’t spoken to for a while
• Post a card or letter to someone you've been out of touch with
• Send flowers to a friend, out of the blue
• Find out if a neighbour needs any help with shopping
• Ring someone who is on their own
• Send someone a handwritten thank you note
• Tell your family how much you love and appreciate them
• Help with household chores
• Offer to help an elderly or vulnerable neighbour
• Check on someone you know who is going through a tough time
• Remember to say "hi" to colleagues and ask how they are – whether that’s face-to-face, or virtually if you are working from home
• Offer to support colleagues who may not be familiar with videoconferencing or new software that you have already used
• Set up a coffee or lunch club – with your regular colleagues and with new ones
• Have a conversation with a colleague you don’t normally talk with
• Get to know a new member of staff – it is hard to join a new workplace
• Lend your ear – listen to your colleague who is having a bad day
• Say thank you to a colleague who has helped you
• Praise a colleague for something they have done well

In public places

• Wish a passer-by a good morning or afternoon
• Be a considerate cyclist/driver
• Pick up some rubbish lying around in the street
• Smile and say hello to people you may pass every day, but have never spoken to before

On social media

• Take time to contact people you haven’t seen for a while
• Write something nice or encouraging on a post you appreciate
• Acknowledge and validate someone’s story – if they are having a difficult time you don’t have to have all the answers, sometimes a like or a brief ‘I’m sorry to hear this, is there something I can do?’ is enough to make them feel heard
• Think about what you share – look at the source of the post, and the tone. If it isn’t kind, think twice. If something could upset others and you feel you need to post it, use a trigger or content warning
• Think about your comments and replies. Try not to say nasty things, or pile on where somebody questions another person’s actions

Evidence shows that being kind really does improve your wellbeing 1

While we know that we don't do things for others for what we can get out of it, we also know that the more we do for others, the more they are likely to do for us. 11

With this in mind, try to help others once a day for a week and see if it makes a difference in how we feel.

You can take joy in being deliberately kind – whether by recognising the time you have for your kids or partner, speaking more to family or volunteering in your community.

Try to keep track of:

• any volunteering that you’ve done
• support you’ve given to friends and family
• any random acts of kindness that you’ve carried out
• what others have done for you.

Remember to make a note of how they made you feel. You could even keep a diary! Write down three things you are grateful for each day, or simply say these to yourself as the day draws to a close.

It’s important to be kind to yourself as well

Whatever you can manage today is good enough. Some people feel that the lockdown is giving them the time and chance to learn new skills or try new things. That may be you, and if so, enjoy and celebrate that.

If this isn’t you, don't beat yourself up about it. If things are hard for you right now, try and find some small things to celebrate each day. Getting up and washing your hair can be just as much of an achievement as someone else posting about a 5k run on Instagram.

Try to tune out the voice of judgement and comparison and tune in to the voice that says you are enough.

Be kind to yourself

• Prioritise some 'me' time, so you can relax and think about how you’re feeling and how your day or week has been so far
• Tune out of  your social media channels for a day, or even a week
• Treat yourself to something. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Remember, good things come in small packages
• Do something you enjoy, like listening to a favourite song or dancing in your kitchen
• Spend some time with nature. It's great for our mental health

Further information

Useful organisations.

Mental Health Foundation - Our vision is of good mental health for all. The Mental Health Foundation works to prevent mental health problems. We will drive change towards a mentally healthy society for all, and support communities, families and individuals to lead mentally healthy lives with a particular focus on those at greatest risk. The Foundation is the home of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Action for Happiness - Action for Happiness is a movement of people committed to building a happier society. They also run the International Day of Happiness.

Do-it - Volunteering made easy . Quickly find ways to help in your community by searching their online database of volunteering opportunities in your area.

Gov.uk - For general guidance about how to get involved in your community.

International Voluntary Service  - Links volunteers with charities and other organisations that could benefit from their time, skills and experience.

Kindness UK - Promoting, sharing and uniting kindness. Take part in the first-ever nationwide kindness survey.

Samaritans - Volunteers are at the heart of Samaritans’ 201 branches across the UK, delivering core services, running branches, fundraising and raising awareness of what they do.

Volunteer Development Scotland - Scotland’s Centre for Excellence in volunteering, VDS, leads the way in informing and modernising approaches to improve the quality of the volunteering experience for the people of Scotland.

Volunteering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Volunteering - committed to supporting, enabling and celebrating volunteering in all its diversity. Their work links policy, research, innovation, good practice and programme management in the involvement of volunteers.

• Volunteering England
• Volunteering Scotland
• Volunteering Wales
• Northern Ireland Volunteering

VSO - Put your skills, energy and personal qualities to work helping people break out of poverty.

The Wildlife and Wetlands Trust - The WWT is an international wildfowl and wetlands conversation charity in the UK.

WWF - The WWF is an international non-governmental organisation founded in 1961, working in the fields of wilderness protection, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.

1 Curry OS, Rowland LA, Van Lissa CJ, Zlotowitz S, McAlaney J, Whitehouse H. Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor. J Exp Soc Psychol. 2018;76:320–9.

2 Post S. It’s Good To Be Good: 2014 Biennial Scientific Report on Health, Happiness, Longevity, and Helping Others. Int J Pers Cent Med. 2014;2:1–53.

3 Jenkinson CE, Dickens AP, Jones K, Thompson-Coon J, Taylor RS, Rogers M, et al. Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers. BMC Public Health. 2013;13(1).

4 Pillemer K, Fuller-Rowell TE, Reid MC, Wells NM. Environmental volunteering and health outcomes over a 20-year period. Gerontologist. 2010;50(5):594–602.

5 Brown KM, Hoye R, Nicholson M. Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Social Connectedness as Mediators of the Relationship Between Volunteering and Well-Being. J Soc Serv Res. 2012;38(4):468–83.

6 Pilkington PD, Windsor TD, Crisp DA. Volunteering and subjective well-being in midlife and older adults: The role of supportive social networks. Journals Gerontol – Ser B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2012;67 B(2):249–60.

7 Otake K, Shimai S, Tanaka-Matsumi J, Otsui K, Fredrickson BL. Happy people become happier through kindness: A counting kindnesses intervention. J Happiness Stud. 2006;7(3): 361–75.

8 Kerr SL, O’Donovan A, Pepping CA. Can Gratitude and Kindness Interventions Enhance Well-Being in a Clinical Sample? J Happiness Stud. 2014;16(1):17–36.

9 Pressman SD, Kraft TL, Cross MP. It’s good to do good and receive good: The impact of a ‘pay it forward’ style kindness intervention on giver and receiver well-being. J Posit Psychol. 2015;10(4):293–302.

10 Choi NG, Kim J. The effect of time volunteering and charitable donations in later life on psychological well-being. Ageing Soc. 2011;31(4):590–610.

11 Fehr E, Fischbacher U. The nature of human altruism. Nature. 2003;425(6960):785–91. 

Kindness and mental health

People living with long-term health conditions in northern ireland are more likely to experience anxiety that interferes with their daily lives.

Data we released in Northern Ireland reveals that anxiety is taking a toll on people who are living with long-term health conditions, as 90% are experiencing anxiety that interferes with their daily lives.

Our new research reveals anxiety is gripping Scotland as many people suffer in silence and struggle to cope

We published research today showing that almost six in ten adults in Scotland (58%) experienced anxiety that interfered with their daily lives in the previous two weeks.

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Our mission is to inspire measurable acts of Kindness in schools and communities around the world.

We spark Kindness Movements in schools and communities across the United States. We have gathered a team of dynamic and inspirational speakers and thought leaders to create programs that not only talk about being Kind but inspire people to take action .

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Kindness Crew is a year-round kindness-based leadership program specifically designed for elementary schools. The goal of the kindness crew is to create a team of students in your school with the sole purpose of inspiring and carrying out acts of kindness throughout your entire student body. Once signed up, you will receive a year of school-wide kindness challenges. Each challenge is creative, unique, and outside-the-box . . . surely to get your students excited to BE KIND.

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The Power of Kindness. Kindness makes a person attractive. If you would win the world, melt it. Do not hammer it. John 7:53 – 8:11. Verse 3. The scribes wrote up the RULES and the Pharisees attempted to PRACTICE and ENFORCE them. Verse 5.

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Presentation Transcript

Kindness makes a person attractive. If you would win the world, melt it. Do not hammer it.

John 7:53 – 8:11

Verse 3 The scribes wrote up the RULES and the Pharisees attempted to PRACTICE and ENFORCE them

Verse 5 The Law commanded both the MAN and the WOMAN to be put to death

Verse 6 Jesus stood to either contradict MOSES or the ROMAN government

Verse 6 He could have refused to give an OPINION but that would have endangered her

Verse 11 Jesus did not describe the woman as an innocent victim or say anything about her FORGIVENESS

Verse 11 The woman didn’t demonstrate FAITH or repentance

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future

Living Kindness (1) Kindness PROTECTS (2) Kindness CREATES

The beautiful thing about this is that every one of us has the capacity to be kind to everybody that we meet.

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understanding. unity. cooperation. kindness. compassion. love. support. generosity. care of the world you live in - your home, the environment and people around you. attention to anyone who is hurt or troubled. readiness to help those who need care, compassion and sympathy. CARING.

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KINDNESS. Everyone must be Kindness. You can make someone very happy by giving them a flower!!. KINDNESS IN CHINESE. KINDNESS. Show someone you love them!!. “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness .”   ~Seneca.

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kindness. By: Maya Nelson August 2012. Analogy. Kindness: Evilness::Happiness: Sadness. Picture collage. Personal experience.

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The Gift of Kindness

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The Gift of Kindness. A RAK Week Lesson by: Ms. Parks. Video. http ://youtu.be/ nwAYpLVyeFU. Random Acts of Kindness. What happened in the video? Is it important to be kind? At home? At school? What are some examples of random acts of kindness?. You can give the gift of kindness!.

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The Power of Kindness . Ghada AbuKhamsin English 1102. Introduction.

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Kindness. Thoughtful, considerate, helpful, and friendly.

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Human Relations. Kindness. :::: Kindness :::::::. Kind or Unkind? Helping an elderly person open the door to Target? Pulling over to check on someone who had broken down on the side of the road? Catching your neighbor’s cat on your property, and taking it to the pound?

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Kindness. Grey arnau. Yeah WOW sooooo lame!!!. Did you hear about what she did OMG?!?!?. Are they talking bad about me???. RUN SHE’S COMING!!!!. Guys, wait up!!!. When they run from me it makes me feel unimportant . I didn’t realize we were hurting her feelings so badly….

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The Law Of Kindness

The Law Of Kindness. Ephesians 4:32. I. What Is Kindness?. 1 Originally: “good quality” of things. ‘Fine’ gold: Dn.2:32 ‘Well-conditioned’ yoke: Mt.11:30. Justin Martyr (d. A.D. 165): as a carpenter, Jesus used to make plows and yokes for oxen. His kindness reached beyond animals.

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Kindness. 1 Cor. 13:4 “Love suffers long and is kind ; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;”. Kindness. Definition “useful” “effective” “Precious” “fine” Ethical = honesty, friendliness, compassion Opposite = brutal, harsh, hurtful, rude, uncaring

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The Fruit of the Spirit : Kindness. The Fruit of the Spirit. Gal 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy , peace, longsuffering, kindness , goodness, faithfulness, gentleness , self-control…

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The Milk of Human Kindness

The Milk of Human Kindness.

106 views • 8 slides

Colossians 3:12 NKJV 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; Ephesians 4:24 NKJV 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

566 views • 8 slides

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• Speech Writing /

Importance of Kindness Speech for School Students

• Updated on  
• Dec 22, 2023

Importance of kindness speech: Kindness is a virtue for the one who possesses it and to the one whom it is shared with. The gesture of kindness does not require words; it is an unexpressed feeling that is felt by whoever is served. 

Kindness becomes a lightning of hope and understanding in a society marked by challenges. Empathy, the quality of being morally good, bridges the gap between hearts. As we follow the complexities of our interconnected existence, embracing kindness is not just a choice but a necessity. 

In this importance of kindness speech, we will learn about the strong impact of kindness on individuals and society. 

2-Minute Speech on the Importance of Kindness

Greetings to all the teachers and students gathered here. Today, I stand before you to deliver the importance of kindness speech. In this speech, I have covered acts of kindness, their impacts, and how we can serve them to society. 

Kindness is a virtue, and the person who possesses this goodness acts selflessly. 

Firstly, let us understand what kindness means. Kindness is being selfless and unconditionally kind. It is a feeling of compassion towards others. A friendly smile, a helping hand, and caring words we share with others come under kindness. It is a language that everyone understands quickly, regardless of age or background. 

Now, coming to the point, Why is kindness important? 

Kindness adds different colours to our lives. It builds a chain of positivity. A simple act of kindness brightens the receiver’s day, lifts the spirits, and makes them feel valued. 

Moreover, an act of kindness creates a sense of community and belonging. When we are kind to others, we build a solid and lasting connection with others. Formation of the foundation of friendships, cooperation, and understanding takes shape. Kindness acts as a glue that binds humans together and makes the world a harmonious and happier place to live in. 

Now the question arises, how can we contribute towards kindness? Contribution to kindness is never about great gestures. If you are holding the door for someone, sharing books and toys, and offering comfort to your friends whenever they are in need, you are showing acts of kindness.  

In conclusion, kindness should be made a part of our meaningful lives. Give someone a reason to smile, lend a helping hand, and spread an act of kindness wherever you go. Kindness is a superpower that each one of us possesses. By using this kind act of power, we can make the world a brighter and happier place for everyone. 

Also Read: Essay on Humanity in 100 to 300 Words

Also Read: How to Prepare for UPSC in 6 Months?

7 Lines on the Importance of Kindness

Let us understand Kindness shortly and simply:

1. The selfless act encourages understanding and compassion among people.

2. An act of kindness encourages an individual to help others.

3. Kindness contributes to a peaceful and supportive social environment. 

4. It helps connect people.

5. Small acts of kindness help brighten up someone´s day.

6. It promotes a culture of respect and consideration. 

7. Kindness acts help in creating a more inclusive and tolerant society.

Also Read: Essay On Peace for School Students

Ans. Kindness is important in our daily lives because it encourages positive connections, enhances well-being, and contributes to more compassionate and harmonious societies. 

Ans. Kindness helps build a positive and supportive environment. Also, it facilitates cognitive engagement. 

Ans. It is often observed that acts of kindness help reduce animosity and mistrust among people. 

Ans. Yes, there are long-term benefits to cultural kindness like less isolation, stronger relationships, and emotional reactivity. 

Ans. Kindness is impactful in encouraging a growth mindset, reduction of stress, and the cultivation of empathy.

Related Blogs

For more information on such interesting speech topics for your school, visit our speech writing page and follow Leverage Edu .

Deepika Joshi

Deepika Joshi is an experienced content writer with educational and informative content expertise. She has hands-on experience in Education, Study Abroad and EdTech SaaS. Her strengths lie in conducting thorough research and analysis to provide accurate and up-to-date information to readers. She enjoys staying updated on new skills and knowledge, particularly in the education domain. In her free time, she loves to read articles, and blogs related to her field to expand her expertise further. In her personal life, she loves creative writing and aspires to connect with innovative people who have fresh ideas to offer.

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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

How to Start a Kindness Revolution

Kindness. That’s a word we don’t hear a lot these days. Perhaps it seems antiquated in our competitive, social-media-infused, politically contentious culture—reserved for fools and chumps, not for those who want to get ahead.

But nothing could be further from the truth, according to Tara Cousineau, researcher and author of the new book The Kindness Cure . In today’s world, she argues, we need to cultivate kindness more than ever—not only for the sake of our society, but for our own well-being.

Cousineau points out that we are wired for kindness—that it’s part of our biological heritage, designed to help us foster relationships, work together, and survive in groups. When we are kind to others, it releases neurochemicals in our bodies that increase trust and give us a warm feeling.

Research suggests that being kind toward others is associated with better and stronger mental and physical health, relationships, life satisfaction, communities, and even economies, writes Cousineau. Her book points to some of the research behind these claims, but it is mainly a how-to on starting a kindness revolution—and overcoming barriers to kindness. 

Because let’s face it: It can be hard to be kind, particularly when we’re stressed out or emotionally spent. I know when I’m overwhelmed I often forget to notice the people around me or be empathic to their suffering—sometimes withdrawing from them or, worse, lashing out at them. This kind of reactive behavior tears at the fabric of our relationships—at the interpersonal, workplace, and even societal level—making it harder to feel good and to accomplish common goals.

So, how does Cousineau suggest we remember to practice the Golden Rule? Here are just a few of her most helpful ideas.

Reset your stress

When you are feeling stressed, your body is flooded with neurochemicals that prepare your internal alarm system for fight, flight, or freezing. Obviously, all of these act against your desire to reach out and be kind to others.

So it’s important to soothe yourself when you are feeling stress. That could mean doing some slow, easy stretching, practicing breathing meditation , taking a walk in the woods, or spending time petting your dog. It could mean talking to a friend or getting a hug from a loved one. When you soothe your psyche with these self-care practices, you will be able to more readily be kind to others.

Mindful Breathing

A way to build resilience to stress, anxiety, and anger

For me, self-care means planning a mid-afternoon stroll—if only for 10 minutes. Because writing for Greater Good can make me lose track of time, I like to set an alarm on my phone to remind myself to take a break. It’s amazingly stress-relieving, and I always come back to my desk feeling refreshed.

Practice awareness

When we’re rushed, we often tune out what’s happening around us. You need only think of the famous study in which divinity students who were trying not to be late to their next class passed right by someone in clear distress—despite just having practiced a talk on the Good Samaritan parable from the Bible! They just didn’t see that person.

To be kind, we need to learn to stop, pay attention, and practice empathy for others. Mindfulness meditation is one way to foster these skills.

By deliberately attending to the sensations in our bodies, our thoughts, and what’s happening in our environment, without judgment, we can use mindfulness practice to become more open to our current experience and strengthen the skills of attention. It can also help us to become more attuned to our emotions, which, in turn, helps us to be empathic toward others. And certain forms of meditation—like metta meditation , in which you express loving-kindness for people outside of your own circle of care—seem to increase compassion.

I began a mindfulness practice a couple of years ago, and I do feel it has helped me be kinder. For example, I recently had the urge to snap at my son, who’d texted me that he needed a ride home from an event that was running two hours late. By stopping and noticing my feelings of anger and the thoughts I was having— He’s not being considerate! I’m not a chauffeur! —I was able to see that my reaction was overblown. I avoided sending a blaming text, and we had a warm conversation about his conference experience. Relationship preserved!

Use positive conditioning

We are naturally conditioned to pay attention to the negative things happening around us. Media headlines take advantage of that predisposition, leading with sensational stories bound to make us feel enraged, fearful, helpless, or all of the above. And those emotions are antithetical to kindness.

We need to counter that by purposefully creating opportunities for positive emotion. That could mean something as simple as smiling at the people you pass on the street, or giving your child a warm hug when you walk in the door.

In fact, being kind will likely fill you with warm feelings in the moment—so it can be a gateway to even more kindness. And you can augment those feelings by learning to savor them—either then or later on—by reflecting on your experiences. As Rick Hanson has pointed out , savoring the positive helps re-train our brains, making it easier to act with kindness in the future—even if the kindness is toward ourselves.

This, I admit, is sometimes hard for me to do. I tend to see kindness toward others as part of being a good human, not a way to improve my own happiness. But one thing that helps me is writing in my journal at the end of the day, zeroing in on moments of kindness and what they meant to me. Doing so deepens those positive feelings, setting the scene for future acts of generosity.

Create circles of caring and kindness

We are incredibly influenced by those around us; so it’s important that we try to influence our social networks to be kinder.

One way to do this is by practicing gratitude—giving thanks to others for their kindnesses. Saying “thank you” to people can augment their feelings of trust and goodwill and can inspire both of you to be kind in the future. In this way, gratitude can create a circle of kindness that contagiously spreads outward.

We can also do favors for others, starting small and working our way up. Helping out a stranger may seem too difficult, especially if you tend toward introversion. But once you’ve mastered kindness toward those close to you, try practicing kindness with someone a little further outside your comfort zone. Maybe you can smile and say hello to your local coffee shop barista, or wave through the bike rider who gets to the intersection after you, or offer up your seat on the bus, or respond kindly to an online political rant.

I’ve tried all of these things, and have seen firsthand how they lead to kind responses and feelings of well-being. In fact, it can be addictive—the more you do, the more you want to do.

Of course, kindness is not always the answer. Sometimes, we have to defend ourselves if we’re being attacked or abused. But it’s probably the answer more often than we think. If you start with kindness toward yourself, increase your awareness, practice empathy, and look for opportunities to be kind, no doubt you’ll end up being kinder to those around you.

As Cousineau writes, “The kindness cure is not just for you, it’s for all of us.”

About the Author

Jill Suttie

Jill Suttie, Psy.D. , is Greater Good ’s former book review editor and now serves as a staff writer and contributing editor for the magazine. She received her doctorate of psychology from the University of San Francisco in 1998 and was a psychologist in private practice before coming to Greater Good .

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Why Kindness at Work Pays Off

• Andrew Swinand

It speaks volumes about your character, commitment, and value.

Whether you’re just entering the workforce, starting a new job, or transitioning into people management, kindness can be a valuable attribute that speaks volumes about your character, commitment, and long-term value. Here are a few simple routines you can integrate into your everyday work life that will spread kindness and help create a culture of kindness at your organization.

• Practice radical self-care. The best way to be a valuable, thoughtful team member is to be disciplined about your own wellness — your physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
• Do your job. Start with the basics by showing up on time and doing your job to the best of your ability. This is where your self-care practice comes into play — you can’t do your best work without taking care of yourself first.
• Reach out to others with intention. Make plans to meet virtually or, even better, in person with your colleagues. Ask about their pets, their recent move, or their family. Most importantly, practice active listening.
• Recognize and acknowledge people. Authentic, thoughtful interactions show that you’re thinking about the other person and reflecting on their unique attributes and value, which can cement social connections.
• Be conscientious with your feedback. Being kind means offering feedback for the betterment of the person receiving it and the overall success of your company.

When  anxiety is high  and morale is low, kindness isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. With  mass layoffs , economic uncertainty, and  geopolitical tensions , kindness is needed now more than ever, especially at work.

• Andrew Swinand is the CEO of Publicis Groupe Creative and Production U.S., CEO of The Leo Burnett Group, and the co-founder of Abundant Venture Partners a Chicago-based incubator dedicated to improving the human condition through investments in healthcare and technology. Connect with him on LinkedIn .

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