“Today you could be standing next to someone who is trying their best not to fall apart, whatever you do, do it with kindness in your heart,” this quote from Tiny Buddha website sums up the need for the value of kindness, that was fed to most of us as children and rightly so. Kindness is the virtue of doing something beneficial to another human being without much thought about one’s own benefits. It includes sister virtues like empathy and compassion. It indeed is “the golden chain that binds society” as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe described it.
Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionarily, kindness must have become a value as it enabled communities to survive as there was reciprocity to their altruistic behavior. While living with five other competing human species, homo sapiens managed to survive because of our collectivist nature of society where reciprocity and maintaining good social bonds are fundamental for survival. Shared resources meant higher rates of survival and a support mechanism for the people. Therefore, kindness could have been valued and inculcated. This stands true even for today’s modern dynamic society. Kindness is that fundamental thread that holds the fabric of society together.
Neuroscientific View
Why would a person be kind when they have the choice of not being so? Neuroscience sheds light on the feel-good hormones and chemicals released when one does something kind. Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin and the cuddle hormone oxytocin are released when a person engages in acts of kindness, which would reinforce feelings of well-being and social bonding. There are numerous researches which underline the positive impact kindness has on the actor. According to Passamore and Oades (2015), doing random acts of kindness, a technique of positive psychology, has a significant positive effect on the mental and physical health of the giver. Being consistently kind further enhances the benefits. Therefore, biologically, one is wired to engage in acts of kindness and has an innate capacity and propensity for kindness.
Societal Perspective
Apart from the internal biological drives that reinforce kindness, society and group norms further reinforce kindness. This is especially true in societies and cultures which are collectivistic in nature, and this in turn benefits the community’s well-being as much as the individuals. For instance, Gurudwaras (the religious place of Sikhism) around the world have community kitchens called Langars where people are fed irrespective of their religion or race. It shows how kindness can help millions of poor from starving. When the world reeled under the COVID-19 pandemic, our collective resilience came to the fore and kindness enabled this collective resilience. Prosocial behavior further enhanced the community’s well-being (Zaki 2019).
Environmental Kindness
Kindness towards our mother earth is long overdue and perhaps quite important if life on earth has to sustain. Engaging in acts of kindness towards our environment by organizing clean-up drives, afforestation, etc. is in line with our sustainable development goals and the need of the hour. Greener environments further enhance the quality of life of people in general and contribute to the well-being of society.
Kindness-based Leadership
In terms of politics, the power of kindness in politics has been portrayed by the work of New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as she navigated numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, as a young woman. In today’s world of polarization and increasing conflict, her legacy of being strong and kind shall certainly inspire a new wave in the political landscape marked with kindness.
Conclusion
Kindness is a multifaceted phenomenon which humans have an innate ability for. There are myriad ways to be kind, and that inevitably culminates in creating well-being at the community level. For instance, in the blue zones of the world where people have higher life expectancy and lower rates of chronic disease, apart from the obvious causes of eating nutritious food and exercise, the presence of a strong social network is also one factor that contributes to their longevity. This highlights the importance of kindness for one’s holistic health and the well-being of the community as a whole. One truly never knows what our fellow humans are battling; it is therefore pertinent that we allow empathy and kindness to lead our actions.
References
Passmore, J. & Oades, L. G. (2015). Positive Psychology Coaching Techniques: Random Acts of Kindness, Consistent Acts of Kindness & Empathy. The Coaching Psychologist. 11(2), 90-92
Slavich, George & Roos, Lydia & Zaki, Jamil. (2021). Social belonging, compassion, and kindness: Key ingredients for fostering resilience, recovery, and growth from the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping. 35. 1-8. 10.1080/10615806.2021.1950695.
British Psychological Society. (2023). Kindness: Society’s golden chain. Retrieved from https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/kindness-societys-golden-chain
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