Kindness: Difference between revisions
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imported>GhostInTheMachine Changing short description from "type of behavior" to "Type of behaviour" |
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{{Short description| | {{Short description|Type of behaviour}} | ||
{{Other uses|Kindness (disambiguation)}} | {{Other uses|Kindness (disambiguation)}} | ||
{{missing information|the philosophical and religious aspects of kindness|date=May 2025}} | |||
{{Emotion}} | {{Emotion}} | ||
[[File: People's Climate March 2017 in Washington DC 35.jpg|thumb|Placard for kindness, at the [[People's Climate March (2017)]]]] | [[File: People's Climate March 2017 in Washington DC 35.jpg|thumb|Placard for kindness, at the [[People's Climate March (2017)]]]] | ||
'''Kindness''' is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. It is a subject of interest in [[philosophy]], [[religion]], and [[psychology]]. | '''Kindness''' is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. It is a subject of interest in [[philosophy]], [[religion]], and [[psychology]]. | ||
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==History== | ==History== | ||
In English, the word ''kindness'' dates from approximately 1300, though the word's sense evolved to its current meanings in the late | In English, the word ''kindness'' dates from approximately 1300, though the word's sense evolved to its current meanings in the late 14th century. The word "kindness" comes from the Old English "kyndnes," which is related to "kind," meaning "nature" or "family". This suggests that kindness was initially seen as a natural quality within one's kin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/kindness|title = kindness |website=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref> | ||
==In society== | ==In society== | ||
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|1={{cite journal|last=Buss|first=David M.|display-authors=etal|title=Sex differences in jealousy: Evolution, physiology, and psychology|journal=Psychological Science|volume=3|number=4|year=1992|pages=251–255|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9280.1992.tb00038.x |s2cid=27388562 }} | |1={{cite journal|last=Buss|first=David M.|display-authors=etal|title=Sex differences in jealousy: Evolution, physiology, and psychology|journal=Psychological Science|volume=3|number=4|year=1992|pages=251–255|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9280.1992.tb00038.x |s2cid=27388562 }} | ||
|2={{cite book|title=Psychology|first1= Henry |last1= Gleitman|first2=James |last2= Gross|first3=Daniel |last3= Reisberg|edition=8th|isbn=9780393932508|publisher=W.W. Norton & co.|year=2011}} }}</ref> | |2={{cite book|title=Psychology|first1= Henry |last1= Gleitman|first2=James |last2= Gross|first3=Daniel |last3= Reisberg|edition=8th|isbn=9780393932508|publisher=W.W. Norton & co.|year=2011}} }}</ref> | ||
The [[New Zealand]] the Prime Minister [[Jacinda Ardern]] believed that leadership should espouse kindness when she led the country through the [[COVID-19]] pandemic, the [[Christchurch mosque shootings]], and the Whakaari volcanic eruption.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McClure |first=Tess |date=2023-04-05 |title=Jacinda Ardern says leaders can be 'sensitive and kind' in farewell speech |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/05/jacinda-ardern-leaders-can-be-sensitive-kind-farewell-speech-new-zealand |access-date=2025-10-23 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> | |||
==In psychology== | ==In psychology== | ||
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Phillips|first2=Barbara|last2=Taylor|title=On Kindness|location=London|year=2009}}</ref>{{rp|112}} | Phillips|first2=Barbara|last2=Taylor|title=On Kindness|location=London|year=2009}}</ref>{{rp|112}} | ||
[[Barbara Taylor (historian)|Barbara Taylor]] and [[Adam Phillips (psychologist)|Adam Phillips]] stressed the element of necessary realism{{ | [[Barbara Taylor (historian)|Barbara Taylor]] and [[Adam Phillips (psychologist)|Adam Phillips]] stressed the element of necessary realism{{technical inline|reason=what is "necessary realism"?|date=August 2023}} in adult kindness, as well as the way "real kindness changes people in the doing of it, often in unpredictable ways".{{r|OK|pages=96 & 12}} | ||
Behaving kindly may improve a person's measurable [[well-being]]. Many studies have tried to test the hypothesis that doing something kind makes a person better off. A meta-analysis of 27 such studies found that the interventions studied (usually measuring short-term effects after brief acts of kindness, in [[Psychology# | Behaving kindly may improve a person's measurable [[well-being]]. Many studies have tried to test the hypothesis that doing something kind makes a person better off. A meta-analysis of 27 such studies found that the interventions studied (usually measuring short-term effects after brief acts of kindness, in [[Psychology#WEIRD bias|WEIRD]] research subjects) supported the [[hypothesis]] that acting more kindly improves your well-being.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Oliver Scott|last1=Curry|first2=Lee A.|last2=Rowland|first3=Caspar J.|last3=Van Lissa|first4=Sally|last4=Zlotowitz|first5=John|last5=McAlaney|first6=Harvey|last6=Whitehouse|title=Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor|journal=Journal of Experimental Social Psychology|volume=76|year=2018|pages=320–329 |doi=10.1016/j.jesp.2018.02.014|doi-access=free}}</ref> | ||
==Teaching kindness== | ==Teaching kindness== | ||
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Kindness is most often taught by parents to children and is learned through observation and some direct teaching. Studies have shown that through programs and interventions kindness can be taught and encouraged during the first 20 years of life.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Malti |first=Tina |date=2021-09-03 |title=Kindness: a perspective from developmental psychology |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17405629.2020.1837617 |journal=European Journal of Developmental Psychology |language=en |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=629–657 |doi=10.1080/17405629.2020.1837617 |s2cid=228970189 |issn=1740-5629|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Further studies show that kindness interventions can help improve well-being with comparable results as teaching gratitude.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Datu |first1=Jesus Alfonso D. |last2=Valdez |first2=Jana Patricia M. |last3=McInerney |first3=Dennis M. |last4=Cayubit |first4=Ryan Francis |date=May 2022 |title=The effects of gratitude and kindness on life satisfaction, positive emotions, negative emotions, and COVID-19 anxiety: An online pilot experimental study |journal=Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being |language=en |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=347–361 |doi=10.1111/aphw.12306 |issn=1758-0846 |pmc=8652666 |pmid=34668323}}</ref> Similar findings have shown that organizational level teaching of kindness can improve the well-being of adults in college.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Datu |first1=Jesus Alfonso D. |last2=Lin |first2=Xunyi |date=June 2022 |title=The Mental Health Benefits of kind University Climate: Perception of Kindness at University Relates to Longitudinal Increases in Well-Being |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11482-021-09981-z |journal=Applied Research in Quality of Life |language=en |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=1663–1680 |doi=10.1007/s11482-021-09981-z |s2cid=255275797 |issn=1871-2584|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | Kindness is most often taught by parents to children and is learned through observation and some direct teaching. Studies have shown that through programs and interventions kindness can be taught and encouraged during the first 20 years of life.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Malti |first=Tina |date=2021-09-03 |title=Kindness: a perspective from developmental psychology |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17405629.2020.1837617 |journal=European Journal of Developmental Psychology |language=en |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=629–657 |doi=10.1080/17405629.2020.1837617 |s2cid=228970189 |issn=1740-5629|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Further studies show that kindness interventions can help improve well-being with comparable results as teaching gratitude.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Datu |first1=Jesus Alfonso D. |last2=Valdez |first2=Jana Patricia M. |last3=McInerney |first3=Dennis M. |last4=Cayubit |first4=Ryan Francis |date=May 2022 |title=The effects of gratitude and kindness on life satisfaction, positive emotions, negative emotions, and COVID-19 anxiety: An online pilot experimental study |journal=Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being |language=en |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=347–361 |doi=10.1111/aphw.12306 |issn=1758-0846 |pmc=8652666 |pmid=34668323}}</ref> Similar findings have shown that organizational level teaching of kindness can improve the well-being of adults in college.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Datu |first1=Jesus Alfonso D. |last2=Lin |first2=Xunyi |date=June 2022 |title=The Mental Health Benefits of kind University Climate: Perception of Kindness at University Relates to Longitudinal Increases in Well-Being |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11482-021-09981-z |journal=Applied Research in Quality of Life |language=en |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=1663–1680 |doi=10.1007/s11482-021-09981-z |s2cid=255275797 |issn=1871-2584|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | ||
{{clear|left}} | {{clear|left}} | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
[[File:2018_Women's_March_in_Missoula,_Montana_97.jpg|thumb|2018 Women's March in Missoula, Montana]] | [[File:2018_Women's_March_in_Missoula,_Montana_97.jpg|thumb|2018 Women's March in Missoula, Montana]] | ||
*{{annotated link|[[Altruism]]}} | *{{annotated link|[[Altruism]]}} | ||
*[[Be Kind to Humankind Week]] | |||
*{{annotated link|[[Compassion]]}} | *{{annotated link|[[Compassion]]}} | ||
*{{annotated link|[[Empathy]]}} | *{{annotated link|[[Empathy]]}} | ||
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*{{annotated link|[[The Kindness Offensive]]}} | *{{annotated link|[[The Kindness Offensive]]}} | ||
*{{annotated link|[[World Kindness Day]]}} | *{{annotated link|[[World Kindness Day]]}} | ||
*{{annotated link|[[Greatness]]}} | *{{annotated link|[[Greatness]]}} | ||
*[[Kindness Week (Canada)]] | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
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==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
* Brownlie | * {{Cite journal|last1=Brownlie|first1=Julie |year=2024|doi=10.1111/1468-4446.13128|title=How kindness took a hold: A sociology of emotions, attachment and everyday enchantment|journal=The British Journal of Sociology|volume=75|number=5|pmc=11617809}} | ||
*{{cite web|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/kindness-emotions-psychology/#|title=Forget Survival of the Fittest: It Is Kindness That Counts|date=January 2017|website=[[Scientific American]]|quote=A psychologist probes how altruism, Darwinism, and neurobiology mean that we can succeed by not being cutthroat.|first1=Dacher|last1=Keltner|first2=David|last2=DiSalvo}} | *{{cite web|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/kindness-emotions-psychology/#|title=Forget Survival of the Fittest: It Is Kindness That Counts|date=January 2017|website=[[Scientific American]]|quote=A psychologist probes how altruism, Darwinism, and neurobiology mean that we can succeed by not being cutthroat.|first1=Dacher|last1=Keltner|first2=David|last2=DiSalvo}} | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
{{ | {{Commons category|Kindness}} | ||
{{Wikiquote}} | {{Wikiquote}} | ||
* {{wiktionary inline|kindness}} | * {{wiktionary inline|kindness}} | ||
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[[Category:Kindness| ]] | [[Category:Kindness| ]] | ||
[[Category:14th-century neologisms]] | |||
[[Category:Giving]] | [[Category:Giving]] | ||
[[Category:Virtue]] | [[Category:Virtue]] | ||
Latest revision as of 10:39, 5 December 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "other uses". Template:Missing information Template:Emotion
Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. It is a subject of interest in philosophy, religion, and psychology.
It can be directed towards one's self or other people, and is present across multiple different species and cultures.
History
In English, the word kindness dates from approximately 1300, though the word's sense evolved to its current meanings in the late 14th century. The word "kindness" comes from the Old English "kyndnes," which is related to "kind," meaning "nature" or "family". This suggests that kindness was initially seen as a natural quality within one's kin.[1]
In society
Human mate choice studies suggest that both men and women value kindness in their prospective mates, along with intelligence, physical appearance, attractiveness, and age.[2]
The New Zealand the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern believed that leadership should espouse kindness when she led the country through the COVID-19 pandemic, the Christchurch mosque shootings, and the Whakaari volcanic eruption.[3]
In psychology
Studies at Yale University used games with babies to conclude that kindness is inherent to human beings.[4] There are similar studies about the root of empathy in infancy[5] – with motor mirroring developing in the early months of life,[6] and leading (optimally) to the concern shown by children for their peers in distress.[7]Template:Rp
Barbara Taylor and Adam Phillips stressed the element of necessary realismTemplate:Technical inline in adult kindness, as well as the way "real kindness changes people in the doing of it, often in unpredictable ways".Template:R
Behaving kindly may improve a person's measurable well-being. Many studies have tried to test the hypothesis that doing something kind makes a person better off. A meta-analysis of 27 such studies found that the interventions studied (usually measuring short-term effects after brief acts of kindness, in WEIRD research subjects) supported the hypothesis that acting more kindly improves your well-being.[8]
Teaching kindness
.jpg){kind=link}
Kindness is most often taught by parents to children and is learned through observation and some direct teaching. Studies have shown that through programs and interventions kindness can be taught and encouraged during the first 20 years of life.[9] Further studies show that kindness interventions can help improve well-being with comparable results as teaching gratitude.[10] Similar findings have shown that organizational level teaching of kindness can improve the well-being of adults in college.[11]
See also
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- Be Kind to Humankind Week
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- Template:Annotated link
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- Kindness Week (Canada)
References
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Further reading
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External links
Template:Sister project Template:Sister project
- Template:Wiktionary inline
- A UK independent, not-for-profit organisation
- Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
- Video with quotes about Kindness, from Wikiquote
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