I had the pleasure last week of attending a fireside chat with Dr. James Doty. He is a Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University and the founder of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Dr. Doty is also the author of Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart. My favorite quote in his book is this:
“While each of us aspires to change the world, sometimes the greatest thing we can do is improve the life of one person and that can be enough.”
The Link Between Kindness and Stress Reduction
It turns out that improving the life of someone else is also good for our own health.
A small but significant study (1) by researchers at UCLA and Harvard in 2015 set out to empirically test the relationship between prosocial behavior (helping others) and the negative effects of every day stressors. While a great deal of research has been done on those who receive help, this study explored the impact on those who gave help to others. They found that people who did a small act of kindness on a given day were much more likely to demonstrate positive affect. This is the ability to experience the world and cope with its challenges in a positive way.
Researchers were able to link these emotional responses to physiological changes including:
Reduced heart rate
Activation of the dopamine receptors that signal pleasure
Reduction in cortisol, the stress hormone
Up-regulation of the parasympathetic nervous system vs. the sympathetic nervous system that signals stress
Kindness is a Small Gesture
The people in this study weren’t performing heroic acts. They simply showed small gestures of kindness like opening a door, helping a friend with a problem, or giving someone their undivided attention. On days that they performed these acts, there was an increase in positive effect, which reduced the impact of stress on their overall functioning.
The Top Takeway
In challenging times, we can become focused on ourselves or on all the problems in the world. This week, try a different approach and ask yourself: how can I be kind to someone today?
