Charismatic Kindness, Lifestyle - Health - Kolkata Mirror,Kolkata Mirror

By Lesley D Biswas

Posted On Monday, November 02, 2009 at 05:53:23 PM

Kindness to others reduces stress

Only recently the Joy of Giving Week saw people from all walks of life act with kindness in their own capacity giving time, money and service to others. And this many said was for themselves. They couldn’t be more correct because if researchers are to be believed then the quality of kindness not only helps the receiver; it also gives the doer the chance to lead a healthier life.

Alan Luks, author of the book The Healing Power Of Doing Good, in his extensive research on kindness coined a term called ‘helper’s high’ which explains that kindness to others results in a release of endorphins which have the capacity to reduce stress.

Dr Avijit Ghosh, music therapist and stress counselor, agrees that our system is wired to respond to certain acts of kindness by releasing beneficial chemicals like endorphins and serotonins which have the capacity to improve moods and reduce stress. He says, “Kindness coupled with love, affection and understanding has a tremendous positive boost on the receiver if they are fighting mental stress and depression while it also enhances the feel-good factor of the doer with a rush of endorphins.”

Kindness alone doesn’t reduce stress, it also improves our immunity system and enhances our self-worth. Although it’s a well documented fact that the quality of kindness has profound benefits on those involved in giving and receiving, yet it’s rare that we experience unselfish and random acts of kindness in our daily course of life.

Kindness has benefits on those involved in giving and receiving

PK Gupta, psychological counselor and psychotherapist, explains, “Our attitude towards others depends on our certain responses, a reaction to outside stimuli. If this response system is controlled and regulated to react with tolerance and kindness, automatically the destructive hormone adrenalin that wrecks our mental peace and disrupts physical well being is replaced by the feel-good hormone oxytocin also called love hormone at times.”

He sited an example: “For instance if a beggar approaches our car we have two choices. First, to give him a coin; second to raise the shutter of the car. By choosing the first we reduce the chances of blood pressure rising and activate the parasympathetic nerve system that allows us to be in a state of peace, similar to the outcome of deep breathing. Kindness not only enhances longevity, it also ensures satisfaction.”

Even helping beggars ensures satisfaction

Conditioning children to be kind and considerate could well insure a healthy and happy future. Since it hardly matters whether kindness is random or intentional, Dr KR Dhar, psychiatrist, asserts that inculcating youngsters with this virtue can be very beneficial in the long run.

He says it’s imperative to build empathy in young children. “When parents teach their children the importance of moral values and virtues like showing respect and kindness to those who are their subordinates, they ensure that their children grow up to be better human beings and have more self-worth.”

Most of all kindness is known to improve mental peace and in today’s competitive environment selfless acts of kindness go a long way in redeeming the heckled conscious.

When parents teach their children the importance of kindness, they ensure that their children grow up to be better human beings

Karen Nicole, a student says, “I make it a point to show resilience and tolerance whenever I’m agitated by a situation that otherwise could result in an aggressive reaction. I also love animals and the time spent with them helps me to unwind. It’s a feeling of complete peace.”

In his book The Power Of Intentions, author Dr. Wayne Dyer attributes this peaceful high to the increase in levels of serotonin that is the direct outcome of an act of kindness which is why people who perform acts of kindness feel elated and restful.

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