Is kindness an inherent trait or is it something we learn through experience? Psychologists, social scientists, and other researchers say it’s both. Not only are we predisposed to being kind, we can increase our capacity for kindness throughout our lives.
What Is Kindness?
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines kindness as “benevolent and helpful action intentionally directed toward another person. Kindness is often considered to be motivated by the desire to help another, not to gain explicit reward or to avoid explicit punishment.”1
Kindness comes in many shapes and sizes. When we’re kind, we’re helping, caring, being thoughtful, and showing empathy and compassion.2 A kindness may be a simple, random act—like buying coffee for the person behind you in line. It may be helping a friend, family member, or neighbor, or volunteering at a community nonprofit.
Acts of kindness are often small but impactful: listening or offering encouragement and support to a friend, for example. Helping someone when they ask for help is one of the most frequently performed acts of kindness, according to a large-scale study conducted by the University of Sussex.2
Now, it may seem like such simple acts aren’t that noteworthy. Isn’t this just our natural instinct—or shouldn’t it be? That’s just what some researchers have concluded.
Finding Kindness Clues in Evolution
“Studies suggest that empathy and altruism have an evolutionary basis … Babies are naturally empathetic and kind. For example, toddlers have been shown to help adults, without being asked, whether their parents are in the room or not, and even without being thanked,” according to “Building Kinder Brains: A 10 Billion Neuron Network,” a report from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).3
U.C. Berkeley psychology professor and author Dacher Keltner is a well-known scholar whose research topics include the evolutionary origins of compassion. The proof that we are Born to Be Good, which is the title of Keltner’s book, “lies in the dependence and vulnerability of our children,” he says in an article for Greater Good Magazine.4
As humans evolved, babies were born needing others to help them survive: “It rearranged our social structures, building cooperative networks of caretaking, and it rearranged our nervous systems. We became the super caregiving species, to the point where acts of care improve our physical health and lengthen our lives. We are born to be good to each other,” he writes.4
In an article for UNESCO’s The Blue Dot, university professors Michael Karlin and Brendan Ozawa-de Silva underscore Keltner’s findings: “As with all mammals and birds, we are not self-sufficient at birth, or even for several years thereafter. … Therefore, this basic need for care means that even on a cellular level—deep within our biology and physiology—we respond to kindness. We are interdependent and our bodies know it.”5
Encouraging Kindness, Passing It On
There’s an active movement to nurture kindness in children and youth. “Building Kinder Brains” endorses the merits of social and emotional learning in classrooms, an example of which is the Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning program developed by Emory University.5 For people of all ages, there’s the World Kindness Movement and World Kindness Day, which is observed globally each year on November 13.6
And while kindness, by definition, is an altruistic act, being kind rewards givers and receivers. The person performing a kind act gets a rush of endorphins, which provide energy and relieve pain. And “witnessing acts of kindness produces oxytocin, also called the love hormone,” the “Building Better Brains” report says. “When others witness acts of kindness, they often pass them on.”3
Keltner agrees. “Generosity is contagious. Kindness spreads like wildfire,” he writes in his article.4
Earn a Master’s in Psychology Online
If you are fascinated by human traits and behavior, earning a master’s degree in psychology can help broaden your knowledge and prepare you for a psychology career. People with psychology master’s degrees work in such diverse job settings as human resources, sales and marketing, and social service agencies. Learn more about careers with a psychology degree: What Can You Do With a Master’s in Psychology?
Walden University offers an MS in Psychology online degree program designed for working professionals who want to earn a degree while staying active in their personal and professional activities. The accredited university’s flexible online learning platform lets you study on your own schedule, wherever you have an internet connection.
Walden’s online psychology master’s program lets you tailor your coursework to your career goals. Choose one of eight relevant specializations: General Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Applied Psychology, Digital Psychology, Educational Psychology, Health Psychology, Social Psychology, and Self-Designed.
The online university’s BS in Psychology online degree program also lets you focus your studies. You can choose one of six timely BS in Psychology concentrations: General Psychology, Addiction, Criminal Justice, Child and Adolescent Development, Human Services, and Forensic Psychology, as well as an Accelerate Into Master’s (AIM) option. AIM’s innovative model lets you take up to five master’s-level courses at the undergraduate tuition rate. With AIM, you can jump-start your master’s program by earning these credits.
As a student in one of Walden’s online psychology degree programs, you’ll enjoy 24/7 technical support and a variety of other student support services. So, when you’re ready to learn more about human behavior, a master’s in psychology may be just what you need to unlock new professional opportunities and make a significant impact in a versatile career field.
Walden University is an accredited institution offering an online MS in Psychology degree program to help you meet your professional goals. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
1Source: https://dictionary.apa.org/kindness
2Source: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2zcD7zvfnkj6MKDgfhyTCBT/ten-things-we-learned-from-the-world-s-largest-study-of-kindness
3Source: https://d1c337161ud3pr.cloudfront.net/files%2Fb4de9b26-db8d-4d17-8179-b0e1d0ace607_Building%20Kinder%20Brains_18th%20April.pdf
4Source: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_compassionate_species
5Source: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373161
6Source: www.theworldkindnessmovement.org/
Note on Licensure: The MS in Psychology is not a licensure program and does not prepare an individual to become a licensed psychology or counseling professional.
Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.