It has been said that kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.
It has also been said that kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.
That’s why today, I’d like to share 10 reasons why kindness is important in our life, according to everyone.
1. Kindness Helps Open Up Our Minds
Being kind to others shows empathy. It helps us listen to others and discover new perspectives on the world. We’re better able to exercise compassion towards others even though we might not necessarily understand their situations.
Related book: Random Acts of Kindness: How to Make It a Better World
2. Kindness Can Brighten Up Someone Else’s Day
It is impossible to overestimate the joy that a simple act of kindness from us can bring to someone else’s life. We all know how challenging the world can be. … This is why kindness is so important. Just a smile from you can help someone else regain the composure they need to face the day with optimism and achieve incredible success.
3. Kindness Boosts Self-Esteem
When people exhibit kindness towards others, there’s a bounce-back effect. It’s often called “the helper’s high.” Being kind to people floods you with positive, happy feelings about yourself. This increases your self-esteem, which is an important part of remaining optimistic and productive in your life. Studies show that kindness towards strangers has a bigger effect on self-esteem than kindness towards friends and family.
Related book: Random Acts of Kindness by Dete Meserve and Rachel Greko
4. Kindness Allows Us to Consider Other People’s Point of View
Maintaining a kind philosophy slows us down a hundredth of a second. It allows us to consider the point of view of the other person or persons on the other side of our interactions. By doing that we are more likely to understand where they are coming from and what is making them do or say what you are receiving.
5. Kindness Helps Us to Resolve Conflict
Kindness contributes to our social well-being, and ultimately our happiness, by allowing us to right a wrong. We can use kindness to help repair relationships and to demonstrate our empathy for others. When someone we care about is down, their sadness can quickly turn into our own. Doing something kind for that person provides us with the same relief as the recipient and can also make us feel like we are correcting a wrong (even if it was not our wrongdoing).
Related book: Random Acts of Kindness Then & Now: The 20th Anniversary of a Simple Idea That Changes Lives by M. J. Ryan
6. Kindness Is Contagious
Thinking about the importance of kindness? Well, we must remember that kindness is absolutely contagious! By being friendly and heartwarming, you are not just helping others but can also expect the same in return. Moreover, many hearts around you definitely melt for good and drive towards great acts. So stand up and be kind.
7. Kindness Is Good for the Heart
Acts of kindness are often accompanied by emotional warmth. Emotional warmth produces the hormone, oxytocin, in the brain and throughout the body. Of recent interest is its significant role in the cardiovascular system.
Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide in blood vessels, which dilates (expands) the blood vessels. This reduces blood pressure and therefore oxytocin is known as a ‘cardioprotective’ hormone because it protects the heart (by lowering blood pressure). The key is that acts kindness can produce oxytocin and therefore kindness can be said to be cardioprotective.
Related book: Deep Kindness by Houston Kraft
8. Kindness Fosters Social Connections
The American Psychiatric Association reports that people who engage in kind and helpful behavior experience greater feelings of social connection.
www.globalcompassioncoalition.org
9. Kindness Gives a Sense of Purpose
Studies show that volunteering enhances an individual’s overall sense of purpose and identity. This is because helping others can make you feel rewarded, fulfilled, and empowered.
10. Kindness Always Comes Back to You
One of the most important reasons to be kind to others is knowing that this kindness will always be reciprocated back to you, directly or indirectly. People remember those occasions when you go out of your regular ways and help them, even in the smallest of ways. And when the time comes, they are always willing to help you out.
Complement with best books on lovingkindness by Sharon Salzberg and then revisit our article on how to practice lovingkindness meditation.
I’m a freelance writer and mindfulness advocate behind this blog. What you see here is the combination of my three favorite things: reading, writing, and mindfulness. While you’re here, subscribe to my blog updates and gain access to free mindfulness resources for stress relief.
