“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
— Lao Tzu, Ancient Chinese Philosopher and Writer
About this Activity
The Kindness Activity is focused on improving your tendency to do kind acts by a focused practice of doing kind acts. You’ll select one day of the week on which you will commit to doing five kind acts. Each week, on that day, you will check back in to reflect on and write about your actions.
A number of studies suggest that acts of kindness which promote the well-being of others can also increase our own sense of well-being. Some trials suggest that committing each week to carrying out acts of kindness that we would not ordinarily do can increase our happiness and life satisfaction, and make us feel more engaged, less anxious, and more connected. Such acts of kindness also often encourage and propagate similar acts of kindness among others.
The Practice
Getting Started
The first thing that we recommend is to select the day (or days) of the week on which you want to do this activity. It's best to write down the days or add them to your calendar. A core aspect of these activities is writting down your thoughts. If you are doing the activity in the app, we provide forms to write and save your thoughts. If you are doing the exercise on your own, it is best to have a notebook or word document dedicated to this activity.
Instructions
Over the course of the next six weeks you'll commit to taking one day out of the week and doing three to five acts of kindness that you may not normally do. You’ll then return to this app to write about your experience. This activity does not have a specific first exercise that you must do at this time. Instead, you can complete an (optional) reflection entry next. We find it helps to write down your expectations, what you want from this experience.
First Entry
This activity doesn't have a specific first entry. You can do the normal entry as a first entry if you want.
Weekly Practice
You've committed to practicing acts of kindness throughout the week, including five acts of kindness today that you would not normally do. As part of your commitment you've opted to return to this app today to reflect upon and write about your experiences. Please take a few moments to clear your mind. When you are ready, think back over the past week. Have you noticed yourself engaging in more acts of kindness than usual? Did you follow through on your five acts for today? If so, what were they and how did you feel doing them? If not, what prevented you from doing so and how might you plan to do so next week?
The Science
This exercise is grounded in research on behavioral well-being. Regular practice has been shown to increase positive emotion, enhance resilience, and deepen your sense of connection.
Key References
- Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: the architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9,111-131.
- Curry, O. S., Rowland, L. A., Van Lissa, C. J., Zlotowitz, S., McAlaney, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2018). Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76,320–9.