Kindness Improves Well-being
November 13 is World Kindness Day.
Every social interaction provides the opportunity to behave with kindness. Acts of kindness are defined as actions that benefit others or make others happy, and that involve an investment of effort, time, or money, however small.
In 2 new studies with 627 participants, researchers learned that behaving with kindness enhances cooperation, improves mood, and increases a sense of social connectedness. Social connection is strongly correlated to happiness and well-being.
Another study revealed that performing small acts of kindness improved anxiety and depression symptoms more effectively than planning social activities or deploying therapy strategies.
A non-profit organization, Wildly Kind (wildlykind.org), inspires people to become Kindness Ambassadors, to “practice kindness in daily life,” and to develop “a lifestyle rooted in compassion, generosity, and small everyday acts that create real change.”
Takeaway: Performing small acts of kindness can improve your mood, anxiety, depression, happiness, and well-being.
Sources
Welcome to RandomActsofKindness.org | The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
Olga Bialobrzeska, et al., Niceness Fosters Cooperativeness Through Social Connectedness | Social Psychology, Apr. 3, 2025.
Marta Danowska-Kisiel, Kindness Sparks Cooperation by Boosting Social Connectedness - Neuroscience News, May 31, 2025.
David R. Cregg and Jennifer S. Cheavens, Full article: Healing through helping: an experimental investigation of kindness, social activities, and reappraisal as well-being interventions, Dec. 12, 2022.