Random Acts of Kindness
Feel good for a week, and then some!
by Katelyn Rudolph and Lacy Scarmana, interns from the
Rockwood School District

Imagine, for a moment, that you’re having a rough day. Your car won’t start, you forget your cell phone at home, you’re stuck in traffic and the day continues to get worse.

What if, however, someone suddenly came along who did something small, but kind, something that you would usually consider insignificant? How would that small act of kindness change your day? Imagine going from a rough day to feeling pretty good­­­—just because someone took the time to extend a little kindness.

These random acts of kindness—say, buying a stranger a cup of coffee—are spontaneous and selfless acts by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up someone else.

Of course, for some people, these acts of kindness don’t have to be “random” per se; they can be planned and thought out ahead of time. For example, if you know a family who is having a hard time with finances, you could anonymously pay the electric bill. Or mow the lawn. Doing the act itself is what is important. Extending kindness—anything from a spontaneous act to buying a luxurious gift—can be very beneficial to your health—body, spirit and mind.

It can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders, serious or minor, psychological or physical. Stress-related health problems, depression and feelings of hostility and isolation also diminish after performing a kind act for someone. Sense of self-worth, greater happiness and optimism are increased while feelings of helplessness are diminished. Even regular club attendance, volunteering, entertaining or faith group attendance is the happiness equivalent of getting a college degree or more than doubling your income.

If you don’t believe us, believe the facts. In 1991, Allan Luks, a former executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Health and executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City, designed and executed a study to see how acting kindly really affected people.

Luks’ study involved more than 3,000 volunteers of all ages at more than 20 organizations throughout the country. He sent a 17-question survey to these volunteers, asking them how they felt when they did a kind act. A total of 3,296 surveys were returned to Luks. After analyzing them, he concluded that there is a relationship between being healthy and acting kindly.

The volunteers testified to feeling a rush of euphoria and a longer sense of calm after acting kindly. Luks calls this feeling “helper’s high,” which involves physical sensations that strongly indicate a sharp reduction in stress and the release of endorphins, a feel-good hormone. After this initial rush, there’s a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.

So, think about it. By just helping a stranger or giving someone a compliment, you’re not only making the other person feel better, but you’re also making yourself feel better. And just as the old saying goes, “A small act can go a long way.”

People “pay it forward,” said a study published in March by the National Academy of Science, Harvard and the University of California at San Diego did the research. According to authors James H. Fowler and Nicholas A. Christakis, cooperative behavior cascades in human networks.

Therefore, here at the Java Journal, we encourage our readers to try a week of “randomly” or “un-randomly” acting kindly toward someone else and write back about how it affected your life. You can find a list of suggestions about what to do on this page, but feel free to come up with your own ideas. Was there an act that affected you the most? Was there an act that you struggled with? However your week played out, we’d like to know. Please see the shaded box to the right for more information. 

A week of kindness
Sunday:  Offer to babysit for a co-worker or a neighbor for the evening.

Monday:  Place flowers or chocolates on a co-worker’s desk.

Tuesday:  Bake a dessert to share at work.

Wednesday:  Invite someone new to sit with you at lunch.

Thursday:  Buy a stranger a cup of coffee.

Friday:  Leave an extra large tip for your server.

Saturday:  Tutor a student who is struggling in school.