Empathy Helps
Every thought and action – and this includes acts of kindness – has a chemical impact upon your brain, and this with repetition will cause structural changes in your brain. Therefore it is not possible to be kind and not change your brain.
This changeability of the brain is known as neuroplasticity, and it means that we are able to and can change our habits.
It Truly is Cool to be Kind
Acts of kindness stimulate increased amounts of what is known as the love hormone, oxytocin, in both the donor and the recipient. This enables us to be more trusting and confident in relation to others. Our barriers come down and with this is the increased opportunity to make connections that ordinarily we might not make. One of the benefits of having oxytocin in our bloodstreams is that it is so good at reducing fear and anxiety, especially in relation to other people and their behaviour, that it can even help us to change what could be a negative opinion about someone. Thereby turning what could be an enemy into a friend. This increase in oxytocin brings with it the possibility of better quality relationships and an improvement to our mental and emotional health.
Ref. Hamilton Dr David R. (2010).Why kindness is good for you. Hay House. London
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