Did you know there are actual health benefits to being kind? Yup…like this:
-According to Dr. David R. Hamilton, acts of kindness create emotional warmth, which releases a hormone known as oxytocin. Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide, which dilates the blood vessels…and among other things, decreases your blood pressure.
-The positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of everyone who witnessed the act, improving their mood and making them significantly more likely to “pay it forward.” This means one good deed in a crowded area can create a domino effect and improve the day of dozens of people!
-Like most medical antidepressants, kindness stimulates the production of the feel-good chemical serotonin. For those who don’t know, serotonin heals wounds, calms you down, and makes you happy.
-According to research from Emory University, random acts of kindness cause a “helper’s high.” In other words, when you’re kind to another person, your brain’s pleasure and reward centers light up, as if you were the recipient of the good deed—not the giver.
(Video courtesy of BrainCraft)
