Why Is Kindness Important? Being Kind Is Better Than Being Right

Why is kindness important?

Perhaps one of the most considerate things we can do for ourselves and for others is commit to practicing and spreading kindness.

Throughout our lives, the importance of kindness is illustrated by showing us the benefits it can produce such as happiness, confidence, and greater sense of self-worth.

On the physiological aspect, being kind and receiving kindness have health benefits such as lower blood pressure, reduce stress, improve sleep, strengthen the heart, and improve mental health.

Simply seeing someone perform a simple act of kindness can give us happiness, and it can inspire us to show more kindness in turn. It is one of the most contagious virtues and one of the most positive acts we can put into practice.

When we do something as simple as taking the time to talk to someone that is in need of conversation, we practice kindness. When we make others feel good with an act of kindness, we inspire them to be kind as well.

Kindness is contagious, and providing acts that are selfless and enrich a person’s quality of life enhance our own sense of self worth crucial to our well being.

Doing something for someone else, however small, gives us satisfaction.

Satisfaction with ourselves is an important factor in whether or not we feel fulfilled in life. When we feel valued, we work harder. When we work harder, we accomplish more.

General Therapy

The Power of Kindness

There is power in kindness.

One of the things we mention first when talking about our relationships with others is whether or not the person is kind. It’s human nature to gravitate towards empathetic and helpful people, and we naturally and subconsciously avoid those who are selfish and petty.

The people who put others ahead of themselves and show love and interest in their peers are the ones we think of first when we select friends and partners. These are the people who make the most significant positive impact on our lives and make our communities a better place to live in.

Kindness includes any act in which we give our time and attention to benefit another person.

Being kind strengthens our relationships and also gives a positive influence to those we are kind to. This can inspire them to try to do the same for us, which creates a mutually beneficial situation.

Our own quality of life improves when we realize the power of kindness. When we are kind to one another, it is good for our well being, everyone benefits, and the world becomes a more positive place.

Every day, make it a habit to list down three things you’ve done to show kindness and compassion. When you look back at the small amount of time you’ve spent on such gestures, you’ll realize how these have given you pure joy and contributed to your personal growth.

Why is Kindness Important

The Benefits of Kindness

The best things in life are free. Kindness is the one thing we can give freely of ourselves. It costs us nothing.

Research shows that when an act of kindness is reciprocated, our oxytocin levels, one of the feel good hormones present when we experience love, increases.

Extending a helping hand gives us an emotional and mental boost that brightens our day and can change our overall outlook on life. Acts of kindness improve our relationships with others as well.

We work harder and better when we are shown kindness.

Employees with kind bosses strive to excel in their positions rather than floating and achieving the bare minimum.

Kindness contributes to more happiness, which, in turn, boosts the immune system and overall physical wellness.

We practice kindness even with just a smile to brighten a co-worker’s day.

A happy worker is a healthy worker. A healthy worker is a productive and valuable asset to a company or business.

Kindness is Contagious

Kindness is contagious. Such positive energy never goes to waste.

When we feel good and receive kindness, we are more inclined to include others in our happiness. Even the smallest act of kindness can set off a chain reaction of positive energy that has the potential to spread infinitely.

Being kind and practicing kindness daily is of utmost importance if a person wishes to have a fulfilling human life. 

One of the first things we are taught as children is to be kind to one another. We are told and shown daily that kindness is important.

We tell our children that if they want to make friends, they need to be nice. They need to be kind. Children are expected to share their toys and to include everyone in their games.

Kindness entails acts of inclusion. When a child who is shy or new is shown an act of kindness on a playground or classroom through inclusion, it gives pure joy to that child, who, in turn, will pay it forward and show kindness to another child who is left out.

The importance of kindness never dwindles throughout our lives, and the foundations for kindness are laid when we are small.

While we can’t all be the popular kid or the smartest kid, we can always be the kind kid, and the benefits of being a kind child are endless and continue to benefit us in adulthood.

How Can We Show Kindness?

It is not only important to give the gift of kindness. It is also crucial to our lives that we receive kindness.

When others are kind to us, whether through acts of support or encouraging words, we feel empowered to continue despite our struggles; we can achieve more when we feel better about ourselves.

We tend to believe in ourselves when others are kind to us, and in turn, we feel called upon to return the favor when others are in need.

There are many ways that we can show kindness each day.

Often, we tell ourselves that it is too difficult to be kind or that it will go unnoticed. When we do this, we fail to imagine how our words and actions tend to affect others. We don’t give ourselves the credit we deserve for the influence we have on those closest to us.

Kindness can be shown in a simple act. It can be as trivial as liking a post on social media or leaving a supportive comment to give someone the confidence boost they need. We can give credit to someone for their great ideas at work.

If someone has had a run of bad luck, we can remind them of all the great things they have accomplished in the past, giving them hope that they can do the same in the future.

When we use our voices to speak kind truths to others, we not only improve the person’s mood and self esteem, but we help another human see how important kindness is in our everyday lives.

These people we show kindness towards may, in turn, search for someone they can bless with an act of kindness, providing happiness to even more people.

Other means of performing acts of kindness in someone else’s life can be through mundane gestures such as helping an elderly neighbor mow the lawn, brightening someone else’s day with a smile and simple “hello,” or even just offering to help a random stranger load bags of groceries in the parking lot.

Making someone’s day does not need to be extravagant.

Kindness Does Not Mean Weakness

We have cultivated and perpetuated an ideology that to be successful or to get ahead in life, we must be unfeeling and aggressive. The nice guy finishes last.

While it is certainly true that we must work hard and focus, it almost never benefits us to be petty, rude, or selfish in the long run.

When we treat a person with disrespect and forget that an act of kindness serves others and ourselves, our work, physical health, and mental health suffer for it. When our words are not kind and our actions are not giving, we take away from our own worth.

We undermine ourselves when we demand respect and kindness from our peers but don’t practice what we preach and return the favor. A sense of entitlement only hurts us when we don’t understand that kindness is just as important as working hard to get ahead in life.

Success is not measured by how much you can do for yourself. Success depends on many things, kindness being one of them.

When you are kind, you feel better about yourself. When you feel better about yourself, your self esteem improves.

Every time you refrain from hostility and choose to be positive, you reap the benefits as well. When you share a kind comment or word of encouragement, you improve your own mood. The contagious value of kindness affects everyone who practices it.

What about people who just don’t seem like they want to be happy? It almost seems like a waste of time to try to speak to them or encourage them to choose happiness. Sometimes good deeds seem like too much effort. and make us question whether or or not they have any impact at all.

Why waste kindness on a person who doesn’t seem like they want to feel good? Why is kindness so important when it seems as though no positive words will have any effect?

In these cases, kindness requires courage and strength. It may be easy to extend kindness to someone who looks eager and in need of it.

It is much harder to put yourself out there and show vulnerability and kindness when the person does not seem open to it. In these cases, kindness is more important than ever and good intentions are what matters most.

Maybe these individuals were hurt in the past and no longer felt like they can trust someone.

Imagine being in that person’s shoes. Of course, some of us have been there and understand just how important it is to be reached out to. Sometimes, these people are just waiting for and looking for signs of kindness in the world.

The elderly are especially vulnerable to missing out on acts of kindness. The older generations don’t often understand the younger generations, and they don’t reach out to others to help them feel included or validated.

Our grandparents, older adults such as our parents or neighbors helped build the world we live in, and as the world moves on at breakneck speeds, our relationships with them can become strained.

We need to provide them with the sense of belonging that they are missing out on through such small acts as inviting them to dinner, sitting with them, reading to them, or listening to them.

Showing kindness with just one act, like sharing a kind word, a smile, or a hug can be what it takes for them to go from feeling like a burden to feeling like a person who truly matters.

why is kindness important

The Need for Kindness is Universal

We are just one world and borders are man-made. When it comes down to it, if the possibility exists to impact a life positively somewhere in the world, we should.

A kind person and one random act can make a difference for a struggling person, and kindness knows no barriers.

You do not have to speak someone’s native tongue or understand their culture to be kind. You just have to care.

Why is showing kindness essential? The answer to that question is simple: Kindness and love for our fellow man is what makes us unique. It is human nature to have these personal needs of being loved and appreciated.

If we can be the positive light for an individual less fortunate than us, we should be. If we can encourage others through our own actions to spread kindness, we should. It is our duty as citizens of earth to do so.

People come together and provide essential acts of compassion in times of need. Historically, we can look back and see the proof.

When we are called to action to help others, we show up in droves.

After hurricanes, so many people volunteer their time, resources, and effort to help victims. Those who own boats show up to help in the rescue efforts. Those with the means to do so send food, water, and blankets.

When a community member loses their home to a fire or other disaster, the whole town comes together to donate money and food to take care of their neighbors.

Throughout history, when help is needed, when kindness is essential, we show up for each other.

It is imperative to the emotional and mental health of everyone to know that kindness still exists in the world.

When we are at our lowest and see no way forward or out of a situation that is crippling us somehow, the smallest act of kindness can help us see the light at the end of a dark tunnel and put us in a good mood.

Having someone who believes in you can provide you with the push to keep going, to try harder, to stick it out in the hopes that circumstances will get better, and they often do.

Struggling with problems can be devastating, but when we have a support system, we have hope. The emotional support and the sense of self that an act of kindness can provide can make all the difference.

When someone is kind to you when you’re having a bad day, knowing that someone has your back makes facing a mountain of trouble less intimidating. You can rest assured that even if you fail, the important part is that you are still loved and the failure doesn’t need to define you.

Kindness Gives Us Hope

One of the very first things we are shown as children is kindness. Our parents and teachers treat us kindly because they love us and want us to be happy.

We learn about showing kindness because we want to make friends, and we realize at a very young age when we learn interpersonal skills that such acts of kindness helps make us feel good because they propagate feel good hormones.

We are shown that there are benefits to being a kind person who inspires a smile. To nurture that drive to show kindness and want to improve another person’s life is of utmost importance.

Perhaps what we need in these trying times is to get back to what we are all taught at the beginning of life – live in a constant state of kindness.

Help others and extend that kindness to everyone: the elderly, your peers, your spouse, your family, your boss, your coworker, your enemy, your competitor. Behave the way that children do.

Remember that acts of kindness get us farther and provide happiness in the simplest of ways.

Even when we are down on our luck, we can still do random acts of kindness and make this world a better place.

It is free to share a smile or offer up our seat on the bus or train. It doesn’t cost you to wish someone luck before a job interview. It doesn’t cost anything to tell an exhausted mother at the playground or grocery store that she’s doing a great job. There are no additional charges to say thank you to your server.

All of these are simple displays of kindness towards people we may encounter daily. It takes nothing but time and effort to make people feel valued and this world a better place, one small act at a time.

For every single negative interaction we experience in a day; we should try to reciprocate with a kind interaction.

Turning the other cheek and reciprocating with love is something that is hard to do but worth it to salvage something beautiful from an otherwise ugly situation. Simply trying to turn a negative into a positive can give us the drive to better ourselves and the world around us.

General Therapy

Kindness matters. It is a basic need of humanity.

After food, air, water, and sleep, there is kindness. The way that we treat each other has never mattered more. You can be a lot of things, but being kind works wonders for your well being.

When we are kind, we show others how it can impact the world.

When we offer kindness, we teach the younger generation how good it feels to be giving, generous and considerate of our time and effort. When we are compassionate towards a person, whether it be a friend or a stranger, we show ourselves that there is still hope for mankind.

There is strength in kindness. There is solidarity in kindness. There is hope in kindness. There is a future worth working towards in kindness.

Kindness acts as a catalyst for change. We can make the world a better place and build a better tomorrow by being kind today, and there is nothing more important than that. 

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