Can kindness and gratitude make a difference in individual lives and for society overall?
Do these practices impact the brain?
Do they also influence the way in which children's brains develop?
In considering the influence of kindness and gratitude it is important to realize the reality that we always have a choice in being kind and grateful.
Gratitude Can Make a Difference
Debbie Hampton shares her personal story of gratitude and how research shows that it benefits the brain. She also shares 12 suggestions for growing gratitude in her post, How Gratitude Helps Your Brain and Mental Health.
"At first, it may be difficult to see life from the perspective of gratefulness. It may even feel forced or fake. That’s OK. With regular practice over time, being grateful will feel more authentic and become a habit and default setting in your brain.
Practicing gratitude has drastically changed my life. I began my practice at a time in my life when I had just tried to kill myself resulting in a serious brain injury. I could barely walk with any coordination or talk understandably. Because of the suicide attempt and my mental condition, I lost custody of my two sons. Being appreciative did most definitely feel fake. However, the alternative, focusing on all that was wrong in my life, only made me feel worse by perpetuating feelings of hopelessness and pain. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, I stuck with it, and it definitely helped."
Additionally, this brief article from Big Think shares the benefits of gratitude for changing the brain. How Practicing Gratitude Changes Your Brain for the Better.
Kindness Can Make a Difference
In the article, The Art of Kindness, Steve Siegle, Psy.D., L.P.C shares:
"Physiologically, kindness can positively change your brain by boosting levels of serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters produce feelings of satisfaction and well-being, and cause the pleasure and reward centers in your brain to light up. Endorphins, your body's natural painkiller, also may be released when you show kindness."
_________________________________________________________________
The Center for Healthy Minds, founded by Richie Davidson, a well recognize researcher on emotions, asked the following questions:
"What if kindness and compassion were taught in schools just like math and reading? What if kids were taught how to pay attention not only to lessons, but also to their own emotions? What if we all took steps to improve well-being in our lives and communities?"
As a result the Kindness Curriculum (English or Spanish) was created and is available for anyone that signs up.
The Kindness Project
There is one more wonderful thing I want to let you know about on the topic of kindness. It is something called, The Kindness Project. Lauren Foster, founder of the project states:
"One of the most beautiful aspects of kindness is its ability to create a ripple effect. When you perform a kind act, whether it's holding the door open for a stranger or offering a genuine compliment, you set in motion a chain reaction of goodwill. The person on the receiving end of your kindness is more likely to pay it forward, and this positive energy multiplies."
She describes how easy it is to contribute to spreading kindness through this project!
“We’d love to share your kindness, just send us a short video (under 30 sec) or just send a short story, a personal quote of what kindness means to you or your favorite way to show kindness. Your video or your write up will simply be shared throughout 2024 to inspire more kindness in our world!”
Kindness and gratitude really do make a difference!
Here is an activity from the Brain Insights series of ringed books.
This one is from, Help Me Thrive While I’m Five but can be used with children of many ages.
Comments (0)