Can being kind make you a happier person? According to Harvard Medical School and the Greater Good Magazine, the answer is absolutely yes. Simple acts of kindness can boost your happiness while leaving a lasting effect on others, creating a cycle that promotes one to be more kind and altruistic. 

 

These studies compared two groups of people, one group was told to perform daily acts of kindness for a certain period of time, and one group was given no instructions at all. The results show that the former ended with an overall higher level of happiness and life satisfaction. A separate study found that “the happier participants felt about their past generosity, the more likely they were in the present to choose to spend on someone else instead of themselves.” This means that due to the fact that being kind positively affects one’s well being, you are more likely to be selfless once you begin purposefully being kind. 

 

Kindness is both incredibly powerful and important, especially since it is impossible to know everything a stranger has gone through. By simply giving a compliment or wave, you could be the reason someone smiles that day. You may have received a compliment before that you still remember years later. Knowing that you may have done the same for someone else should be truly satisfying and gratifying. This is the power of taking just a few seconds of your day to spread positivity to someone else, and you will likely feel more positive and happy within yourself as well.