Studies show that people who actively help and support others, be it family members, friends, or those in the community, might actually be more likely to live longer.
It can keep health-compromising inflammation levels down
There's also a biochemical link between kindness and longevity, in light of stressful and negative emotions spiking cortisol. “Emotional states of anger, fear, hate, resentment, anxiety, worry…all those drive up the stress hormone cortisol,” Dr. Vuu says.
Happy people don't just enjoy life; they're likely to live longer, too. A new study has found that those in better moods were 35% less likely to die in the next 5 years when taking their life situations into account.
Good for the body
Kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a stress hormone, which directly impacts stress levels. People who give of themselves in a balanced way also tend to be healthier and live longer.
Researchers found that people who had satisfying relationships with others were happier, better adjusted, had fewer health problems and indeed lived longer. The reverse seems to be true as well. Weak social ties are linked to higher rates of depression, later-in-life cognitive decline, and increased mortality.
Smiling players lived on average EIGHT years longer than their more stoic counterparts. Another study out of the London University College found that happy, cheerful people were 35% more likely to live longer.
Being socially isolated is terribly unhealthy. Studies since the 1980s have shown that if you haven't got friends, family or community ties, your chance of dying early may be 50% higher than if you did. Social isolation is now being touted as similarly detrimental to health as smoking or not taking exercise.
As well as making others feel good, there is evidence that people who spread a little kindness are happier, healthier and more attractive than their mean-spirited peers.
Researchers estimate that about 30 to 60 percent of kindness is genetically determined, while the rest depends on life experiences and individual choices.
Kindness is a quality that seems inherent in human beings. Like most vital things, however, it is at once very simple and very complex, with multiple layers that can be explored extensively.
Researchers associated some patterns with calmness and others with tension, stress, and anxiety. They found that people with the calmest brain regions also had the healthiest biomarkers, indicative of a longer life.
Then the researchers looked at the death records of those same folks. Men who had been rated as attractive lived an average of 76 years. But those on the lowest rung averaged only 69. The most attractive women lived to an average age of 76, three more than those who weren't rated as all that hot.
Conclusions. It's not surprising that those with more wealth tend to live longer than those with less. If you have more money, you probably have access to better health care as well as more nutritious foods. You also have less stress from worrying about money, and stress is a factor in mortality, as well.
Loving-kindness meditation slows biological aging in novices: Evidence from a 12-week randomized controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology.
2) Kindness protects telomeres
This is an oft-used analogy. Telomeres typically wear shorter as we age. For this reason, telomere length is considered a measure of a person's biological age or how fast they age over a period of time.
Experts say that kindness is one of the main features of intelligence. In other words, good people are the smartest. Neurobiologist Richard Davidson says: "the foundation of a healthy brain is kindness." He explains that kindness requires the ability to think not only about ourselves but also about others.
Research by psychologists has found that at least part of the reason some people are kind and generous is that their genes nudge them toward it. It turns out that the milk of human kindness is evoked by something besides mom's good example.
Empathy is instinctive
Human brains are hardwired for empathy, because we associate those near to us – friends, partners, family members – so closely with our own selves, say psychologists at the University of Virginia. It stands to reason, then, that being kind to cheer someone up makes us feel good too.
Acts of kindness can make the world a happier place for everyone. They can boost feelings of confidence, being in control, happiness and optimism. They may also encourage others to repeat the good deeds they've experienced themselves – contributing to a more positive community.
In fact, the experts found that intelligent people who tend to be less nice to co-workers are likely to have the greatest career success in the long term. While kind and generous individuals do good for others, the benefits are short-lived, according to the study.
Participants high in the self-reported traits of agreeableness or extraversion, the two Big 5 traits most relevant to interpersonal behavior, were rated more attractive.
While those qualities certainly don't hurt, it turns out the most alluring thing about a person is a bit different. According to recent research, kindness is the number one most attractive trait people look for in a partner. Read on to learn more.
While some people need a lot of social time, others don't. If you're more introverted, you probably feel most comfortable with a few close friends. Too much socializing likely drains your energy and leaves you in urgent need of solitude.
The answer is no. Everything has its pros and cons, and in the same way, not having friends is not as bad as it is made out to be. Having friends is good, but only if you have a healthy dynamic with them. So without further ado, let's try and understand the benefits of solitude.
In general, based on 2021 survey data, the average person in America has between 3 and 5 close friends. According to this survey: almost half (49%) report having 3 or fewer close friends. over one-third (36%) report having between 4 and 9 close friends.