Random Acts of Kindness

In a world where I am surrounded by negativity in social media, news and online I forget that most people in this world are actually kind. According to Amit Kumar in the article “Kindness Can Have Unexpectedly Positive Consequences”, people who perform random acts of kindness do not always realize how much impact they are having on another individual.

Simple things like a “just because” thank you note, giving cupcakes away and buying hot chocolate for others improves the mood of the giver and receiver. In Kumar’s studies, the people giving out hot chocolate rated the act as “inconsequential” but the receivers rated this act very meaningful and significant. Dr. Kumar has shown that kindness can also be contagious with the “pay it forward” effect.