254-How Kindness Affects Happiness: Our 6 Factor Series Part 5 of 6

Welcome to our 6-part series on the 6 categories that affect happiness the most.  Today we dive into category 5 of 6 -kindness, so let’s go. 

 

Transcript:

 

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2 minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and the Happiness Research Institute in Denmark has developed factors they think affect someone's happiness. They have 6 factors that they group together, they are: health, relationships, freedom, trust, kindness and money.  Today we’re talking about kindness.  

 

We know that kindness is contagious and we will be diving into this more.  But today, we’re talking about the findings from The Happiness Research Institute.  

 

We are wired to feel good when we do good.  Some people call it “helpers high”. We have a trigger in our brain that rewards us when we are helping other people. It is the same trigger in our brain that triggers survival.  At the end of the day, our species,more than anything else, is trying to survive.  It’s good for our species and we are trying to survive, the reward trigger in our brain will fire.  It’s just the way our complex brains work.  So it’s good for the survival of the human species when we help one another, when we collaborate, when we work together instead of competing with one another. 

 

People who become active in volunteer work become happier. Not only because it feels good to do good, but also because in a lot of volunteer activities you are exposed to a wider range of good and less fortunate life.  

 

Doing good can be a part of your identity. It’s like when you go to a cocktail party, you usually talk about your job, it has a huge impact on your identity.  Charity work and volunteering can do the same thing, which makes people feel good.   

 

The gist of this is that kindness matters.  Whether it’s on a small scale or a big scale, it matters.  When you make someone smile, they can’t help but share kindness with another person.  It’s how our DNA has been wired since the beginning of time. So, instead of fighting this DNA, be kind, make an effort to be kind and spread that kindness throughout your day.  You just never know how the kindness will be returned to you. 

 

Until next time, my hope is that you spread kindness and you smile today. 

 

This episode was inspired by The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark and their happiness course, The Happy Course.  

 

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