The Science of Kindness (Spoiler, It's A Superpower)

Goodbye, Jerks! Kindness is associated longer, healthier, happier lives.

Hi Readers, thanks so kindly for being here. Pun always intended. I have amazing and beautiful friends curated after years of a “no jerks allowed” policy in my inner circle.

It wasn’t always like that. I had to learn the hard way.

We all know the feeling. Someone comes into our path - they reveal themselves to be selfish, manipulative, and worst of all, cruel. The kind of person you’re grateful you survived.

And you think, “Karma is gonna get you, one day.”

Well, I’m here to say jerks don’t win out in the end. They just don’t. At least, not on a biological level.

Science shows kindness is the path to longer, healthier, and happier lives.

Here is a little scientific reinforcement that kindness is its own reward and you can feel sorry for that toxic ex-friend or guy who cut you off on the freeway or that morally corrupt coworker.

Survival Guide: Kindness is good for your body.

According to Harvard’s Immaculata De Vivo, author of “The Biology of Kindness: Six Daily Choices for Health, Well-Being, and Longevity,” there are many ways kindness is directly tied to our physical body.

First, De Vivo associates qualities like kindness, optimism, and empathy with helping maintain healthy stress levels saying, “Stress has been considered one of the greatest enemies of our telomeres because it increases an oxidative stress process and state of inflammation.”

“Science considers the length of telomeres a real biological clock that determines the life span of a cell, and by extension, the organism to which it belongs,” says De Vivo. “Longer telomeres are associated with long-lived individuals, while shorter telomeres are associated with a shorter life expectancy.”

A Buddhist practice known as Loving Kindness Meditation (often called “metta” meditation) where participants mentally send kindness and warmth towards others by silently repeating mantras also shows a direct effect on aging in the women studied. Women who performed the practice had “significantly longer” telomeres than controls.

Kindness may be the real anti-aging serum. But it also helps support us in hard times.

A 2022 study of people with depression and anxiety revealed acts of kindness reduced symptoms more than cognitive behavioral therapy.

But it’s not just our mood that benefits.

A 2011 study suggests that kindness, optimism, and gratitude reduce the risk of heart disease.

Scientists from leading cancer research centers examined key ways to use kindness in treatment, “The wonders of high-tech cancer care are best complemented by the humanity of high-touch care. Simple kindnesses can help to diffuse negative emotions that are associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment-and may even help to improve patients' outcomes.”

Good relationships are also a bigger factor in mortality than even smoking. A study in 2010 says across 148 studies (308,849 participants) indicates, “a 50% increased likelihood of survival for participants with stronger social relationships. This finding remained consistent across age, sex, initial health status, cause of death, and follow-up period.”

I’ve always felt that human evolution toward empathy is key to survival and well-being. When I get sad about pain and hurt in the world, the fact that kindness feels good and has so many benefits for us shows me there’s hope for humanity.

So spread a little kindness out there. It’s good for us all.

A Free and Easy Act of Kindness- Help Support My Book:

So a couple weeks ago, my book agent and team began to “take my book out on sub.”

I asked her to translate the phrase and it means she’s submitting to publishers. She sent me a dream-come-true list of publishers with the instruction from them to keep building my community.

Soooo if you’re not following me on Instagram, please drop me a follow. It really does help my book immensely! Follower counts matter to publishers.

Link: https://www.instagram.com/taylorcoffmanmade/

But also, just by being here, you’re already someone I’m incredibly thankful for.

Love, TC

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

“Thank you for showing us all that an act of kindness and goodwill is merely a choice we can all make. I certainly want to see acts of kindness going up by 400%!!” Kristen

If you’re new here and wondering, “what happened to this lady?” read:

I started writing this when I was on dialysis. It’s intended to be both memoir and a practical tool to help folks who might be going through something similar or those caregivers and family supporting someone with a challenging diagnosis. NOTE: This is not intended to replace actual medical guidance. Please consult your doctors on your individual challenges and situations. Please talk to your clinicians before adjusting any of your care protocols. Also names have been changed for most of my medical staff.

Thank you to CC Couchois, Roy Lenn, and Dr. Richard Burwick for your founding level donation.