We all know that what we are feeling often impacts us physically. When we feel embarrassed, our faces flush. If we feel anxiety, we sweat, or our hands shake. When we feel excitement, our hearts race. So, it’s not surprising that feeling kindness has a set of physical implications too. The beauty of it is, the physical results of giving or receiving kindness, or even just thinking about kindness, are all positive. Read on to learn more about why kindness is good for us. And how we can boost the kindness we feel, all on our own!
Why Kindness Is Good for Us
There is research that indicates thinking about kindness creates physical changes in the compassion center and the empathy center within our brains.
Specifically, thinking about kindness causes us to produce serotonin (basically the same thing antidepressants are intended to achieve) which helps us experience those wonderful feelings that kindness brings about.
Isn’t this incredible?
We don’t even have to do anything – we just have to think kind thoughts.
Facts About the Biology of Kindness
Kindness also leads to the production of another natural hormone, oxytocin.
Oxytocin does incredible things, including initiating contractions during childbirth in pregnant women, and in stimulating lactation in new mothers.
But the rest of us can benefit from the production of oxytocin in a whole array of other ways.
Did you know oxytocin helps us to feel trust and reduce fear and anxiety?
The feelings we experience when we love one another are largely due to the presence of oxytocin and we all know how good loves makes us feel.
Perhaps the most amazing thing is that oxytocin is no longer believed to be only produced in the brain.
New research indicates that oxytocin is also actually produced by the heart – and that its production there benefits our entire cardiovascular system.
Does giving or receiving kindness bring about a warm feeling around your heart?
Now you know why. Who knew?
Why Kindness is Good for Us and Those Around Us, Too
So now we have a few more reasons to be kind.
It isn’t just the right thing to do.
Being kind or thinking about kindness actually has a physical impact on our bodies, naturally producing hormones in our brain and heart that improve not only our mental state and well-being, but also our cardiovascular health.
So, let’s not waste another moment.
Think kind thoughts. Do kind things. And let’s do them to one another – and give ourselves a double dose.
Thank you as always for reading.
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Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Her career includes 20+ years as a health care executive and 15 years (and counting) as a consultant. The common thread through Joan’s professional life has been a commitment to lead, mentor and coach current and future leaders, and women from all walks of life. KindCompassCoach provides information and advice grounded in Joan’s personal experience; however, all articles are backed by research and provide facts and advice from a wide variety of experts. Joan also serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me.
8 Responses
Loved this Joan. Anything to do with the brain fascinates me so thank you so much for sharing!
This is Fascinating! I love it!
Wow, that’s incredible! There’s no doubt that an act of kindness benefits both the giver and the receiver, but to know there’s a chemical process associated with even thinking about kindness makes perfect sense. And how fitting that the chemical is produced by the heart. A really enjoyable read!
I love this post! It’s always fascinating learning about the human brain and how/why we feel the way we do!
Well, I didn’t know this! Thanks for sharing, I’ll definitely be adopting this into my daily self-care <3 xx
I LOVE this approach to talking about kindness! Thanks so much for sharing!
Great post/
xx
https://theonethattravels.wordpress.com/
Love love this!! If this doesn’t give more reasons to be kind, then I don’t know what will … xo