A policeman’s act of kindness went above and beyond his duty when he responded to an elderly couple that called 999 because they were lonely. The officers responded by making a visit to their house for a cup of tea. Whilst it’s not something policemen normally would do, it does highlight the issues in the community for elderly people and social isolation and the lack thereof of the appropriate supports to address this.
Over the years there has been a growing body of evidence to suggest that there are many positive implications for people that do good for others. One study published by the Journal of Social Psychology, measured the overall life satisfaction of eighty-six participants. The participants were randomly assigned into three different groups where they have to perform either 1. daily acts of kindness, 2. new and novel activity or 3. no acts of kindness for a period of ten days. With the outcome of the study revealing that the two groups that practiced the two meaningful activities 1.daily act of kindness and 2. new novel activity that overall their life satisfaction was higher than those that did not practice any acts of kindness or activities.
Another research study from the University of British Columbia that acts of kindness and doing good deeds for other can make socially-anxious people feel better. People with high levels of anxiety over a four week program were asked to acts of kindness to others. These included simply things such as buying lunch for a friend, holding the door open for others, donating to charity and doing errands for others. The outcomes of the research showed that doing nice things for others lead to a significant increase in the participants mood in a positive way. As well as improved relationship satisfaction and a reduction in avoidance of social situations in people with social anxiety concerns.
Kindness can be anything from a simple smile or saying two kind words thank you. It provides a way to connect with an individual even if only for a brief moment. It doesn’t cost anything to take time out for a simple gesture in your passing. Why not give it a try and really go out your way to be kind to others.
