Can Practicing 5 Acts of Kindness Each Day Change Your Life?

How many times have you encountered acts of kindness by someone? How did it make you feel? What did this person/people do for you? How many times have you preformed acts of kindness toward someone else? How did that make you feel?

Random acts of kindness (RAK) can be anything from bringing your neighbor's trash can back from the curb, letting someone have the right of way, paying someone a compliment, giving a hot meal to a homeless person, or calling someone to thank them for something.

Most of us have encountered RAKs and felt good as a result. This is no brainer. Someone is doing something nice toward you; what's not to like? Right? But the amazing thing about RAKs is that performing them has an even better influence on your well-being than receiving them!

Research shows that performing random acts of kindness can:

• Boost our happiness by giving us exciting new activities to be engaged in

• Help us feel good about ourselves and feel connected to our values

• Help us become aware of the importance of being kind toward other people

• Make us feel good when we receive appreciation and gratitude from other people.

Try this practice:

Simply do 5 nice things without expecting anything in return. You don't have to do all 5 acts for the same person; however, you do have to do all 5 acts on the same day to get the lasting boost in your happiness and in your life-satisfaction level. For example A few days ago I practiced 5 RAKs: I paid someone a compliment, wrote a good review online, picked up a piece of trash while walking my dog, put my neighbor's trash bin back, and made soup for my friend who was sick.

Find more ideas for RAK on the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation's website: click here

This practice is based on the following research:

Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111 Otake, K., Shimai, S., Tanaka-Matsumi, J., Otsui, K., & Frederickson, B. L. (2006). Happy people become happier through kindness: A counting kindnesses intervention—Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 361-375.