The Kindness Ripple: How Small Acts Change the World
It sets off a chain reaction that spreads far beyond the person we help.
Does being nice really make a difference?
It turns out that kindness is actually contagious. The ripple effect of kindness changes how we feel about making the world a better place.
When we see someone do something nice, it changes our brain chemistry. We get a boost of feel-good hormones like oxytocin, which makes us likely to be kind ourselves.
UCLA’s Bedari Kindness Institute had people watch two different videos. One was of a man helping others throughout his day, and the other of someone doing parkour stunts. Afterward, they gave participants a chance to donate money to charity. The results? Those who watched the kind acts gave 25% more than those who saw the parkour video.
It’s not just about copying what we see. When we witness kindness, it inspires us to be generous. We see someone help a stranger on the street and then feel moved to donate to a charity. Kindness unlocks our desire to do good.
Kindness doesn’t just affect the person we help directly. It spreads through social networks, influences friends of friends of friends. This is the “three degrees of influence” rule.
