How being kind can actually save your life

By Kerryn Vaughan

13th November 2020

Today is World Kindness Day (Nov 13th) and people from all around the world will feel warm and fuzzy and find a way to undertake a random act of kindness (RAK). The feeling will be incredible and they may or may not tell anybody about it. Let’s face it, most of us are screaming inside to tell others what a great deed we did.

But often we don’t because we worry that people will criticise us for bragging, and in some cases we actually feel guilty that we had to wait for a dedicated day to do what we wish we had the motivation to do every day.

Often we think of the quick and easy pay-it-forward coffee, which is an incredible gift and truly brightens the day of the person receiving the love. But it doesn’t have to be something that costs money. Many people have been hit financially because of the pandemic, and on days like today the feeling of being disheartened is often amplified. We’d genuinely like to do something kind for others but we don’t think we can.

So here are a few ideas that are completely free:

• Cut some flowers and give them to a neighbour

• Text somebody to let them know you’re thinking of them

• Call somebody and check in

• Send an email to somebody telling them they are doing a great job

• Record a 30 second video for somebody and DM it to them

• Put a post on social media as a shout out to somebody for being awesome

• Take an elderly neighbour’s dog for a walk

• Offer to mow somebody’s lawn or weed their garden

• Bring the neighbour’s rubbish bin in

• Provide a free consultation

• Make an extra plate of dinner for an isolated neighbour

• Run somebody a bath

I am holding back a bit here because we’re still a little restricted with movement and access, but by now you can see there are plenty of options. I’m sure you could add a stack of things to this list within minutes.

The most simple action of all - just smile at somebody. It’s good for them but also good for you!

But how long will the kind acts last?

Will we continue to do kind things on a regular basis, or will it fizzle out because the dedicated day has come and gone?

What if being kind was actually helpful AND healthy? What if simply by being kind, you are increasing your lifespan. Well no more ‘what if’s’. Being kind really does help you live longer, so that in itself should be enough to motivate us to be kind as often as possible.

Now when I say ‘as often as possible’, we all know it’s near impossible to be walking around all day being happy with everything. That’s not realistic. Nor does it mean we should be fake nice and think that’s kindness. It isn’t!

I admit, I’m a firecracker. I really do crack it at times and while I could probably try a little harder to control myself, I often don’t. In my defense (OK I’m pushing it a bit now), almost all of my ‘cracking it’ episodes happen because I have seen somebody being unkind to somebody else. Yes that triggers me, and I let rip. Truth be told, I don’t even feel guilty! 

But ‘cracking it’ sessions aside (which we all have), being kind on a regular basis has a long list of health benefits.

Kindness does great things to your body!

Research has linked kindness to releases in oxytocin (the love hormone), dopamine (the feel good hormone), and serotonin (the mood regulator).

There’s also evidence that shows kindness increases energy, happiness, pleasure, and even lifespan. Equally important, kindness has been shown to decrease pain, stress, anxiety, depression and blood pressure.

The Greater Good Science Centre at UC Berkeley studies kindness, and Professor Dr. Dacker Keltner, says “As you practice kindness it shifts your nervous system and makes you healthier”.

These benefits are only the tip of the iceberg, but they are enough to show us that kindness is not a fluffy extra, and should be included in our every day actions. The good news is, kindness can be learned so this means it’s readily available to anybody who wishes to have a more meaningful life. That pretty much means everybody!

So there you have it - kindness can save your life, and may even save somebody else’s. There’s a good reason we are called ‘humankind’.

Here’s to a world filled to the brim with regular random acts of kindness.

Kerryn Vaughan is the author of ‘Magnificent Kids!’ and ‘Get Off The Bench!’, founder of One Planet Classrooms, co-founder of Girls With Hammers, and host of Get Off The Bench Podcast