Some Kind Of Wonderful

Tap Into Your Kindness Genes And Experience The Ripple Effect

- Julia Shaw

The helper high

A gesture as simple as smiling at a stranger, checking on an elderly neighbour, giving up your seat on the bus or listening to someone in need, can transform someone else’s life – and your own. Research has shown that the act of giving or helping can give you a lift too. It can increase serotonin, the feel-good chemical in your brain, boost your energy and make you happier, while decreasing anxiety and stress. Studies conducted by happiness researcher and author of The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor, showed that if you perform random acts of kindness for two minutes a day for 21 days, you can retrain your brain to be more positive.

It’s in our DNA

“We’re actually genetically wired to be kind. We have kindness genes that are some of the oldest in the human genome at over 500 million years young,” says David R Hamilton, author of Why Kindness is Good for You and The Five Side Effects of Kindness. “Scientific evidence has proven that kindness changes the brain, impacts the heart and immune system, and may even be an antidote to depression. It makes us feel uplifted and inspired; that warm feeling we have when we’re being kind, receiving kindness or witnessing it. This sets in motion the ripple effect of kindness, where one act touches many more lives than the original recipient.”

Jamil Zaki, professor of psychology at Stanford University, came to the same conclusion in his research, which showed how witnessing kindness actually inspires kindness, causing it to spread.

Social media boosts