June 9, 2021 • 5 mins
Turns out random acts of kindness are not so random. Science says they can improve the mood of both giver and recipient. Catherine Sanderson, professor of psychology at Amherst, and author of Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness, tells why—and suggests some easy acts to do.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day, we just
need to look for and share it. Here's something Good
(00:27):
for today. Here at Seneca Women were big believers in
the power of simple acts of kindness. In fact, that
science shows us that doing acts of kindness can boost
your own levels of happiness. Today, we're going to learn
about the connection between kindness and happiness from an expert
on the topic, Dr Katherine Sanderson. Dr Sanderson is a
(00:48):
professor of psychology at Amherst College and she's on the
editorial board of a Journal of Research in Psychology. She's
also the author of the Science of Happiness and Introduction
to Positive Psychology. Here's what she had to say, Dr Sanderson,
thanks so much for joining us. Very happy to talk. So,
how can we benefit from being kind to others? Research
(01:09):
in both psychology and neuroscience shows that giving to other
people actually makes us feel good. In fact, it even
activates a part of our brain that is in charge
of processing rewarding experiences, meaning that giving to other people
feels good at a neurological level in the exact same
(01:32):
way that eating chocolate feels good. And what are some
small acts of kindness we can integrate into our day
to day lives. One of the most exciting findings from
the field of positive psychology is basically that anything counts.
So people who volunteer in their communities experience higher levels
of happiness. People who donate to charity experience higher levels
(01:53):
of happiness. So even very small, sort of random acts
of kindness letting another car merge in front of you
instead of cutting them off, or doing an active kindness
for a neighbor, all of those are examples of small
acts that can make a big difference. So how do
acts of kindness differ when they're towards people we know
(02:15):
versus total strangers. In fact, research shows that both types
of acts of kindness can make us feel good, So
giving to strangers giving to friends both of those make
us feel good. The one difference is that if you
give to somebody within your community, you may be more
likely to have that active kindness reciprocated because the person
(02:37):
knows you is in touch with you say you do
an active kindness for your neighbor, maybe they'll reciprocate at
some other point. But both acts of kindness towards strangers
and friends feel good to us and for you personally.
What acts of kindness do you find to be the
most impactful? What do you try to do on a
regular basis. So I'm going to describe two specific things. One,
(03:00):
I have set up regular monthly donations to charitable organizations
that I care about, in particular since the pandemic. I've
set up a monthly donation to help people who are
struggling with hunger, which has been such a big issue
in terms of the last year, and people not having
regular employment, children not being regularly in school where they
(03:22):
might have access to free your reduced lunch. So for me,
that's something that I've actually started doing since the pandemic
as a way of giving regularly in a monetary way
pre pandemic and what I very much hope will be
post pandemic. I have a really simple active kindness that
I do with some regularity when I'm traveling, which is
that I offer to take a picture of anyone who
(03:45):
is struggling with having a picture of themselves taken. So
you'll often see, you know, parents taking just a picture
of their kid, or somebody trying to do an awkward selfie.
I am the person who always stops and says, hey,
would you like me to take a picture for you?
And it's a simple and very small act, but it's
something that basically everyone appreciates. Such great advice. Even the
(04:07):
smallest act of kindness can have a surprising impact on
your own happiness. So here's something good for today. According
to Dr Sanderson, research supports that giving to others actually
does make us feel good. As Dr Sanderson tells us,
it even activates the part of our brain that processes
rewarding experiences. The good news is that doesn't take a
(04:28):
specific act to reap these benefits. Dr Sanderson says, basically
anything counts. Whether it's donating to charity, regularly, helping a
friend in need, or something as simple as letting another
car merge in front of you. Any act of kindness
can have a positive impact on your day. Thank you
(04:56):
for listening, and please share today's something good with others
in your life. This is Kim Azzarelli, co author of
Fast Forward and co founder of Seneca Women. To learn
more about Seneca Women, go to Seneca Women dot com
or download the Seneca Women app free in the app store.
Care Something Good is a production of the Seneca Women
podcast network and I Heart Radio Have a Great Day.
(05:23):
For more podcasts from my heart Radio, check out the
i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day, we just
need to look for and share it. Here's something Good
(00:27):
for today. Here at Seneca Women were big believers in
the power of simple acts of kindness. In fact, that
science shows us that doing acts of kindness can boost
your own levels of happiness. Today, we're going to learn
about the connection between kindness and happiness from an expert
on the topic, Dr Katherine Sanderson. Dr Sanderson is a
(00:48):
professor of psychology at Amherst College and she's on the
editorial board of a Journal of Research in Psychology. She's
also the author of the Science of Happiness and Introduction
to Positive Psychology. Here's what she had to say, Dr Sanderson,
thanks so much for joining us. Very happy to talk. So,
how can we benefit from being kind to others? Research
(01:09):
in both psychology and neuroscience shows that giving to other
people actually makes us feel good. In fact, it even
activates a part of our brain that is in charge
of processing rewarding experiences, meaning that giving to other people
feels good at a neurological level in the exact same
(01:32):
way that eating chocolate feels good. And what are some
small acts of kindness we can integrate into our day
to day lives. One of the most exciting findings from
the field of positive psychology is basically that anything counts.
So people who volunteer in their communities experience higher levels
of happiness. People who donate to charity experience higher levels
(01:53):
of happiness. So even very small, sort of random acts
of kindness letting another car merge in front of you
instead of cutting them off, or doing an active kindness
for a neighbor, all of those are examples of small
acts that can make a big difference. So how do
acts of kindness differ when they're towards people we know
(02:15):
versus total strangers. In fact, research shows that both types
of acts of kindness can make us feel good, So
giving to strangers giving to friends both of those make
us feel good. The one difference is that if you
give to somebody within your community, you may be more
likely to have that active kindness reciprocated because the person
(02:37):
knows you is in touch with you say you do
an active kindness for your neighbor, maybe they'll reciprocate at
some other point. But both acts of kindness towards strangers
and friends feel good to us and for you personally.
What acts of kindness do you find to be the
most impactful? What do you try to do on a
regular basis. So I'm going to describe two specific things. One,
(03:00):
I have set up regular monthly donations to charitable organizations
that I care about, in particular since the pandemic. I've
set up a monthly donation to help people who are
struggling with hunger, which has been such a big issue
in terms of the last year, and people not having
regular employment, children not being regularly in school where they
(03:22):
might have access to free your reduced lunch. So for me,
that's something that I've actually started doing since the pandemic
as a way of giving regularly in a monetary way
pre pandemic and what I very much hope will be
post pandemic. I have a really simple active kindness that
I do with some regularity when I'm traveling, which is
that I offer to take a picture of anyone who
(03:45):
is struggling with having a picture of themselves taken. So
you'll often see, you know, parents taking just a picture
of their kid, or somebody trying to do an awkward selfie.
I am the person who always stops and says, hey,
would you like me to take a picture for you?
And it's a simple and very small act, but it's
something that basically everyone appreciates. Such great advice. Even the
(04:07):
smallest act of kindness can have a surprising impact on
your own happiness. So here's something good for today. According
to Dr Sanderson, research supports that giving to others actually
does make us feel good. As Dr Sanderson tells us,
it even activates the part of our brain that processes
rewarding experiences. The good news is that doesn't take a
(04:28):
specific act to reap these benefits. Dr Sanderson says, basically
anything counts. Whether it's donating to charity, regularly, helping a
friend in need, or something as simple as letting another
car merge in front of you. Any act of kindness
can have a positive impact on your day. Thank you
(04:56):
for listening, and please share today's something good with others
in your life. This is Kim Azzarelli, co author of
Fast Forward and co founder of Seneca Women. To learn
more about Seneca Women, go to Seneca Women dot com
or download the Seneca Women app free in the app store.
Care Something Good is a production of the Seneca Women
podcast network and I Heart Radio Have a Great Day.
(05:23):
For more podcasts from my heart Radio, check out the
i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
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