It's being selfless, caring, compassionate, and unconditionally kind. Like love, it takes practice to understand and feel it. We share love with others through kind acts such as a smile, a nice word, an unexpected deed, or a planned surprise.
What is this? Kind people are gentle and patient with those who need help. They have the ability to be present in any situation and offer a listening ear, warm smile, or an encouraging word when needed. Kindness can come from anyone- not just friends, but also strangers on the street.
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.
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.
Why is kindness important? When we practice kindness either to other people or towards ourselves we can experience positive mental and physical changes through lowering stress levels and increasing the body's production of feel-good hormones such as dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin.
A study by Gallup found that the well-being of workers improved from being given a kind word. When shown kindness, it triggers positive emotions and helps people feel more fulfilled and improves self-evaluations. Indeed, many years of research has shown that boosting someone's value confirms their self-worth.
KINDNESS means being considerate, courteous, helpful, and understanding of others. Showing care, compassion, friendship, and generosity.
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. Ultimately, intelligence is defined as "the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills."
Kindness and compassion are two of the most positive qualities of emotional intelligence. Each is rooted in thoughtfulness and consideration – a deliberate awareness or regard for the feelings and circumstances of other people.
“The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time, have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty and truth.” ~ Albert Einstein, Theoretical Phys…
Kindness is one of 24 universal character strengths and is within the virtue category of humanity. It involves being generous, caring, and compassionate towards others. It is one of the top five most prevalent character strengths globally. Kindness helps buffer against the negative effects of stress.
Fear of having our kindness rejected or misunderstood, fear of doing it wrong. Anger, envy, and mistrust because of stereotypes and bigotry. In Between the World and Me, Author Ta-Nehisi Coates writes this on receiving the kindness of a stranger “…
Those who are extroverted, sensing, feeling, and judging are often identified as one of the kindest types by experts. "ESFJs have extroverted feeling as a dominant cognitive function," Gonzalez-Berrios says. "This makes them rule by their hearts. They are kind, polite, friendly, and sensitive."
“One who is kind is sympathetic and gentle with others. He is considerate of others' feelings and courteous in his behavior. He has a helpful nature. Kindness pardons others' weaknesses and faults. Kindness is extended to all — to the aged and the young, to animals, to those low of station as well as the high.”
One of the most positive Myers-Briggs types is the ENFJ, or those who are extroverted, intuitive, feeling, and judging. "Known for their optimism and upbeat personality, ENFJs are known for being fun to be around and for being idealist organizers who want to create a better way," Owens says.
While kindness has a connotation of meaning someone is naive or weak, that is not the case. Being kind often requires courage and strength. Kindness is an interpersonal skill.
Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Kindness plays an important part in showing empathy. When we are kind, we are engaging in that “tuning in phase” where we can pay attention and try to understand someone else's experience or emotions. When we notice and understand, we are compelled to act, and that act often takes the form of kindness.
Listening To Others—With Understanding and Empathy
Some psychologists believe that the ability to listen to another person, to empathize with, and to understand their point of view is one of the highest forms of intelligent behavior.
We learn by standing atop the four pillars and exercising compassion, empathy, sympathy and forgiveness.
Kindness is a natural tendency, but it's also a skill to be learned and practiced. One that parents and caregivers of young children can nurture one experience at a time.
Researchers asked college-aged students from 59 countries to rank the traits they found most important in a romantic partner. The researchers found that kindness was the most sought-after trait overall. Other top-ranking traits varied based on a person's sex and whether they were from Eastern or Western countries.
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.
The Kindness Curriculum presents activities designed to build the attributes of empathy, gratitude, perspective, honesty, self-compassion, self-acceptance, humility, collaboration, mindfulness, meditation, trust, affiliation and humour for all children and students worldwide.