Wishing Well Your Friends & Acquaintances On Facebook Is Not Contagious – But Being Kind Is!

On Facebook, this month you find all sorts of people wishing others “Merry Christmas!” That universal greeting you will hear it from everyone and anyone – it’s so common it has become trite, hackneyed, run of the mill, uninspiring.

Surprise! From Lady Gaga, top American singer, songwriter & actress, who says (above): “I’ve been searching for ways to heal myself, and I’ve found that kindness is the best way.”
(“Kindness” from twitter.com, “Lady Gaga” from Little Monsters’ Facebook post)

This essay began when I saw today, Thursday, 23 Dec 2023, a Facebook ad by the people of “Ask The Scientist – Health And Science Education” titled, “Being Kind Reduces Anxiety And Stress.” I didn’t know that!

I googled for “value of kindness” (exactly like that), and I got an astounding 87.5 million results! So I say: “Being kind works much better than wishing well everyone you meet or are friends with on Facebook!”

Acts of kindness you owe it to others – and to yourself! Ask The Scientist says:

Acts of kindness and generosity are known to raise your levels of happiness and emotional well-being. In behavioral economics, this feeling is known as the “warm glow.”

This is Ultimate Contagious:
When you are being kind to others,
in fact you are being kind to yourself!

So how do you “do kindness”?

One way to share your kindness is to volunteer. Marc A Musick & John Wilson say (Social Science & Medicine, sciencedirect.com):

There are a number of reasons why volunteering might yield mental health benefits, especially to older people. Volunteer work improves access to social and psychological resources, which are known to counter negative moods such as depression and anxiety.

“Especially to older people” – volunteering is a positive mood that erases negative moods.

Analysis of three waves of data from the Americans’ Changing Lives data set (1986, 1989, 1994) reveals that volunteering does lower depression levels for those over 65, while prolonged exposure to volunteering benefits both populations. Some of the effect[s] of volunteering on depression among the elderly is attributable to the social integration it encourages…

Especially those over 65 – prolonged volunteering results in much lowering of depression.

Targeted generosity (giving to a specific cause or person) decreases activation of the amygdala – the brain structure associated with processing emotions. This leads to reduced feelings of anxiety and stress.

When you give something good to others, you are simultaneously giving to yourself!

ANN says, “Why Kindness Matters And Is One Of Our Core Values” (Smell The Roses, smelltheroses.org.uk):

… It has such a positive impact on people.

The dictionary definition of kindness is “the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate; a kind act”.

In fact any small, random acts of kindness can really lift people up. Lending a listening ear or just making them a [cup of tea] when they’re feeling low helps the other person feel valued.

Just listening, you will make people feel better. Just making someone else a cup of coffee makes both of you feel better. What’s better than that?!@517