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You are talking about the act of being kind to others?
Right, this study by Binfet et al. measured students who engaged in conscious acts of kindness to others.
So this was intentional kindness?
Yes, not just measuring if they were kind anyway. That’s why this study is interesting. It shows the benefits of just being intentionally kind. Obviously there’s probably some sort of correlation between those who are naturally kind and managed to complete the kindness tasks.
What sort of kindness tasks were these?
Students planned five acts of kindness over five days in the categories of helping others, giving, demonstrating appreciation, and communicating.
And what were the results?
Those who completed at least three of the five tasks reported significantly higher scores of in-person kindness and peer connectedness.
So good news!
Yes, we already knows kindness correlates strongly with many wellbeing factors and reduces stress. But this shows that intentional kindness has many positive impacts. Suggesting that kindness can be planned, and also therefore learned!
