21 Sources of Kindspiration
2018 was full of leadership, art, and research for a kinder world.
There are so many ways to express and choose kindness. For our team, sharing kindspiration is part of every weekly meeting and helps motivate us as we work toward a kinder world.
We hope these standouts in art, science, and leadership from 2018 fill you with ideas and energize you to use your unique skills for a kinder future.
People deepening the conversation about kindness
1. Malick Mercier
As a teen storyteller, Malick’s curiosity and compassion is contagious, and he shines in this IGTV episode at the Oculus where he shares how art can help people choose kindness.
2. Cynthia Yip
When Cynthia’s mom passed away last year, she turned to acts of kindness as a way of honoring her memory and coping with grief. She spoke to us about her experience choosing kindness in challenging times.
3. Lubna Kabir
We spoke to recent Columbia University graduate and kindness.org Citizen Scientist Lubna Kabir about her passion for intergenerational kindness, and the idea that we can be agents of change at any age.
4. Bernard Coleman
Uber’s Head of Diversity and Inclusion believes that the “core purpose of every organization should be to create a safe, welcoming environment that embodies human kindness and fosters a culture of support and collaboration”.
5. Lady Gaga and the Born This Way Foundation
It takes courage to speak about your personal mental health challenges, and Lady Gaga’s willingness to do just that in front of an audience of millions is a powerful act of kindness and solidarity.
Visual artists showing us the power of kind acts
6. Liz Climo
In Liz’s world, hamsters, bears, turtles, and creatures of all types show us how to treat each other right.
7. Drawings of Dogs
Henry James Garrett challenges stereotypes and illustrates empathy with clever and thought-provoking art.
8. Cleo Wade
As an author and poet, Cleo uses her Instagram to uplift and connect people with quotes, handwritten notes, and artwork.
9. The Latest Kate
It’s okay to not feel okay, and Kate Allan’s art helps to erase stigma about anxiety and depression by meeting people where they are.
10. Frank and Ollie
This dinosaur poet and jam-pancake-loving dog is the daily affirmation you never knew you needed. Let Frank and Ollie wrap you in a blanket of kindness, hand you a steaming mug of coffee, and read you a haiku.
Research and articles supporting a kinder world
11. New research on kindness and happiness
Our meta-analysis of existing kindness literature by Dr. Oliver Scott Curry, Dr. Lee A. Rowland, and others was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, showing conclusively that being kind improves human happiness and well-being.
12. New research on cyber-kindness
Our new Kindlab research on cyber-kindness with Dr. Dana Klisanin and Dr. Lee A. Rowland suggests that it is a widespread phenomenon, and offers grounds for optimism about the future of human behavior online.
13. A new hypothesis for kinder workplaces
Our Chief Strategist and Co-founder Melissa Burmester shares with Quartz how kindness is an action not a feeling, and offers suggestions on how anyone can be kind at work.
14. Recognition of kind leadership
The Women of the Future Programme, an organization based in the United Kingdom, is recognizing and promoting kind leadership.
15. Kindness as a solution for workplace challenges
Kindness.org CEO and Co-founder Jaclyn Lindsey wrote a guest post for Forbes about why workplace innovation in the face of issues like sexual harassment and work-life balance must include kindness.
People standing up for kindness globally
16. Jamison Fletcher
We talked to passerby in Brooklyn about their kind wishes, and Jamie shared the remarkable story of what happened when his family took the time to have a conversation with someone experiencing homelessness.
17. Ruth and Ollie
These fantastic photographers, amazing storytellers, and beginning cyclists from the United Kingdom partnered with us to cycle around the world collecting stories about kindness, including what kindness looks like in their own relationship.
18. Ana Zellars
Ana is a community member and wonderful advocate for a kinder world. On World Kindness Day, she created a kindness wall with teens at the community youth shelter in Denver, Colorado.
19. Brandy LeConte
For the past two years, Brandy has organized a World Kindness Day Chalk Wall in her community of Owosso, Michigan. Over 1,600 students, teachers, and individuals from the community came to pledge to choose kindness this year, including Miss Michigan, Emily Sioma.
20. Carolyn Booker
Carolyn is a Workplace Citizen Scientist from Atlanta, GA who spearheaded a year-long series of Kindness Challenges at Northside Hospital. Over 35,000 kind acts were completed between hospital families, and for patients and visitors.
21. Tushar Advani
Tushar is a community member from Bucharest, Romania who was inspired to create a kindness wall for high school students, and created a one month challenge for himself and his online followers to post stories of kind acts.
