The Biology of Kindness

Kindness is linked with clinically significant improvements to your health and well-being.

There’s a biological benefit to showing others compassion. Science indicates that people who display gratitude, kindness, optimism, forgiveness and happiness often enjoy greater longevity and overall well-being. Kindness is also an evolutionary strategy vital to humanity’s survival. It provides “a sense of belonging,” helping social groups cohere without the need to identify a common enemy or resort to emotional coercion or threats.

Aspire to engage in an act of kindness every day, whether that entails walking a shelter dog or simply giving someone a hug: 2018 research from the University of Oxford shows that after deliberately practicing kindness for as little as a week, research subjects experienced elevated happiness levels.

Being kind to others may improve recipients’ health in clinically significant ways. For example, according to research from Harvard University, using “positive psychology” interventions, such as displaying gratitude or optimism, when treating patients with cardiovascular...