Can Acts of Kindness Affect Your Happiness?
Today you get to choose. You choose simple things, like breakfast and your outfit. You also make more complex decisions, like how you treat other people. These choices set the scene for your day and have the power to bring a smile to your face, make you break down in tears, or turn you into the Eeyore in your crowd. So, how about today you choose to be kind, and maybe, just maybe, it will bring you happiness.
How Does Kindness Affect Happiness?
Have you ever experienced a random act of kindness from a total stranger? Perhaps you left a bag in a shopping cart by mistake and a nice young man ran it over to you at your car. Or what about when you were in line at the coffee shop and the person in front of you paid your bill, just to do it- didn’t that make you feel grateful, relieved, and happy all at the same time?
Acts of kindness have that power- they can direct how you feel. According to the Mental Health Foundation in the UK, acts of kindness make the world a happier place by boosting confidence, optimism, and happiness.(1)
But it takes two to tango, right? There is the person who does the kind act, and there is the recipient. If you are the one committing the kind act, your happiness is affected because you:
Give positive energy to others.
Boost your self-esteem by doing something you feel is right.
Exercise selflessness by thinking of other people's needs and feelings.
Strengthen your community and feel a part of something bigger.
Build relationships by doing what you can to help.
Kindness can be contagious. Once you have been kind to someone, they might feel inspired to pass on the wonderful experience, however big or small it may be. Your acts of kindness directly affect their happiness because they:
Feel valued by the attention you give them.
Experience love because you took time to care.
Inspire reciprocity and pass on kindness to other people.
Hope for a better day.
Understand how to treat others with respect.
These are all beautiful terms and hold universal truths, but the reality is, that not everyone experiences happiness the same way. You and your neighbor may have very different ideas of what an act of kindness is, and her ideas may not make you happy at all.
What are the Negative Effects of Kindness?
Your neighbor thinks she is doing an act of kindness every Tuesday morning when she brings your garbage cans back to your house after trash pick up. You’re at work and she is at home, and she figures she is doing you a solid. The only thing is, she always puts them back facing the wrong direction and every week your husband gets ticked off because he has to turn them around.
Every week.
That doesn’t make him happy at all.
And yet your neighbor has this great intention of doing this thoughtful act of kindness. The effect is a negative one, though, and instead of making your friendship stronger, it builds resentment. So the key to a successful act of kindness is creating the desired outcome, and this happens when the act of kindness is needed and welcomed.
Does Kindness Improve Your Mood?
When you are the recipient of an act of kindness that is welcomed, your happiness soars and your mood is improved possibly to the moon and back! You have to love it when your best friend stops by with your favorite bagel at lunchtime. Happiness through the roof!
But if the act of kindness isn’t welcomed, like getting a bunch of roses from an admirer you can’t stand, then your mood could change for the worse. Maybe that wasn’t their intention, but that was the effect nonetheless because their idea of kindness doesn’t align with yours.
How Can You Put Acts of Kindness to Use for Your Happiness?
Sometimes, all you need for a boost of happiness is a few good ideas for acts of kindness. Remember, they need to be welcomed and aligned with your recipient’s values.
If you work with a Certified Life Coach, you can design a custom plan where acts of kindness directly affect your happiness. Together, we work to strengthen your relationships, boost your self-esteem, and create a positive environment wherever you are. So, if you are ready to become a more happy, healthy, and confident YOU, then visit my website at www.stephaniemariescoaching.com to schedule a free 30-minute consultation TODAY!
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