Kindness Counts (Really)

Let’s try an experiment. Today, look for a chance to help someone else – even for just a minute. Walk that proverbial little old lady across the street. Give directions to a confused-looking tourist. Hold the door for a mom struggling with a double-stroller.

Did you do it? Great. Let’s meet back here in six months.

According to a new study, tiny act of kindness today may still boost your happiness and self-esteem half a year from now. The big conclusion? Kindness does count. And it doesn’t have to be kindness toward strangers. If you treat your partner with kindness – say please and thank you, make the bed without being asked, surprise him with concert tickets – you are improving your own self-impression while also taking care of the other person. According to the study, being kind to others also might help us be kind to ourselves. The reverberations may be endless.