Studies Highlight Value of Expressing Kindness

SPS: Private Practice

Sometimes, global problems can make us feel that our individual actions no longer matter, even in private practice. However, we need not look far to find examples of how kindness can improve our lives even amid the problems of our day, says Shanna Downing, LCSW. 

A recent Harvard Health publication shows studies have indicated that kindness can improve happiness and a sense of engagement with life, reduce symptoms of anxiety, and increase a sense of social connectedness, Downing says. 

Another Harvard Health article discussed how expressing gratitude and performing acts of kindness can contribute to heart health, Downing said in the latest SPS Section Connection for Private Practice. 

“Research conducted on the effect of kindness also suggests that it decreases social isolation and loneliness,” she said. “The participants were asked to do one act of kindness per week in a four-week period in their neighborhood.” 

The study concluded, “Taken together, our findings indicate that a simple low-intensity, low-cost intervention to mobilize people to do acts of kindness made immediate small reductions in loneliness, social isolation, social anxiety, stress, and made small improvements to neighborhood relationships.” 

Kind acts help both physical and mental health, Downing said. “They can be simple and enduring and can change lives.”