On November 13 as part of World Kindness Day, we are encouraged to spread kindness like an infectious cold. We want to share it more than usual because studies show when others observe kindness in action they are more likely to carry out an act of kindness, too.
Kindness Day was born when a collection of humanitarian groups came together on November 13, 1997, and made a “Declaration of Kindness”.
- 1889 – Johnstown Flood. The American Red Cross’ first major peacetime relief effort.
- 1906 – San Francisco Earthquake. Following the earthquake, a soup kitchen was set up that feeds almost 300 people every day.
- 1997 – World Kindness Movement launches. Hosting the first conference this year in Tokyo, Japan, the World Kindness Movement is formed as an international platform to bring together like-minded kindness organizations from around the world
- 1998 – With the simple intention of inspiring people to commit acts of kindness, World Kindness Day is launched to become an annual observance.
- 2005 – Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers turn up with more than 400 boats to rescue those stranded.
- 2005 -The UK Kindness movement begins.
- 2009 – Singapore joins the movement.
- 2010 – initial Kindness Day UK is launched
- 2012 – Australia makes Kindness Day part of the school calendar
- 2015 – World Kindness Day in France is launched.
- 2018 – World Kindness Day USA is launched
- 2019 – The World Kindness movement now spans 27 countries.
- 2020 – Though not yet officially recognized by the United Nations, in 2020 the organization gave a nod to the day by tweeting about the day, sharing its hashtag, and encouraging folks to participate
- 2021 – Haiti earthquake. Humanitarian organizations work around the clock to reach those affected by the hurricane.
- Five acts of kindness in a week will increase your happiness for up to three months. {source}
- The effects of kindness can be so great you don’t have to be directly linked to a giving chain to get in on the act. By simply witnessing generosity you may be inspired to do something generous of your own, according to a new research study. {source}
- Kindness can be taught. A researcher from the University of Wisconsin says, “It’s kind of like weight training. We found that people can actually build up their compassion ‘muscle’ and respond to others’ suffering with care and a desire to help.” {source}
- Helping others protects overall health twice as much as aspirin protects against heart disease! {source}
- People 55 and older who volunteer for two or more organizations have an impressive 44% lower likelihood of dying. That’s after sifting out every other contributing factor, including physical health, exercise, gender, habits like smoking, marital status and many more. This is a stronger effect than exercising four times a week. {source}
- Abraham Maslow and Jonathan Haidt have studied an effect called Peak Experience which says that witnessing acts of kindness helps us want to be more kind and also helps us feel more connected with others.
- Kindness decreases levels of loneliness and helplessness and increases feelings of exhilaration, satisfaction and well-being.
- Psychologists have confirmed that kindness has positive physical effects which include lower blood pressure, increased energy levels, a sense of calm, higher pain tolerance, and improved immunity.
- Seeing someone become happy creates a feeling of well-being in us. It’s called the mirror neuron effect. The neurons in our brain connect with the happy feelings in the others’ neurons.
- Kindness increases our energy levels and confidence. Studies show that being kind makes you more energetic and increases your sense of self-worth.
- 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.
- Kindness Slows Aging. Research now shows that oxytocin (that we produce through emotional warmth) reduces levels of free radicals and inflammation in the cardiovascular system and slows aging at the source.
- Research Demonstrates Happiness is Contagious. Recent studies have actually shown that when one person is kind to another it inspires kindness to spread.
This is a PDF of how Acts Of Kindness are beneficial for your health: Acts of Kindness Health Facts
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