Why Kindness Heals

Lisa Franchi November 17, 2014

It doesn’t hurt to be a little kinder each day. It doesn’t hurt to smile and greet someone a ‘good day’, open the door for a colleague, prepare a cup of coffee for your hubby, or leave a note to your mum saying ‘I love you’. Random acts of kindness can actually have a very powerful healing effect. And scientific scrutiny can attest to it.

Science says so

Numerous studies have provided evidences on the amazing health benefits of altruism. In one scientific review, it was shown that when healthcare providers make an effort to get to know their patients, empathise with them, and communicate with them – patients tend to have reduced anxiety, pain and blood pressure, faster healing of wound, and shorter hospital stays. Furthermore, when patients are treated with kindness, they are more likely to be forthcoming in divulging medical information, which actually help doctors to make more accurate diagnoses.

But kindness isn’t only favourable to the person who receives it. Its healing power can be felt and experienced by the giver him/herself. In the same study review, doctors, nurses, and caregivers were found to benefit as well. They felt more engaged and less exhausted, which is really helpful in a workplace environment where employees work long hours and in rotating shifts.

The healing effect of kindness doesn’t only apply to workplaces. It applies anywhere – at home, in school, and everywhere we go. You need not be very familiar about a culture or tradition to be kind. Being just, honest and respectful are all what you need.

Kindness basically makes us feel good. And on the biochemical level, the good feeling we experience after showing kindness to others is caused by the increase in dopamine – the brain’s natural versions of morphine and heroin. Yes, it gives us that ‘euphoric’ feeling. It is just so comforting and heart-warming.

And don’t think that the healing effect of kindness ends in your mind. Compassion also boosts your physical health, as much as it improves your mental health and well-being. The emotional warmth we experience triggers the release of oxytocin – another hormone (also called the ‘love hormone’) which is believed to have a key role in cardiovascular health. Basically, oxytocin fuels the release of nitric oxide in blood vessels, which reduces blood pressure.

Kindness also positively affects us at the cellular level. Breakthrough research published in the American Journal of Physiology found that oxytocin also reduces free radicals and inflammation – two major health culprits that can lead to cancer, heart disease and many other chronic illnesses. Other studies link compassion with the activity in the vagus nerve – the never which has an essential role in regulating heart rate and inflammation. In one study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, kindness and compassion were found to reduce inflammation in the body. According to the researchers, this benefit is likely due to its effects on the vagus nerve.

More importantly, kindness provides healing effects to our social relationships. It basically shortens the emotional distance between two people, therefore allowing the creation of a strong and genuine bond.

And you know what the best part is? Kindness is contagious. Kindness actually creates a ripple effect that spreads to everyone we encounter. When we’re kind, we inspire others to be kind as well. And the cycle goes on, and on, and one.

Yes, we have to be kind because it is the right thing to do. But it really pays to think about the benefits of kindness. They can serve as a little inspiration too.