Kindness &
Mental Health
Kindness and Mental Health
Kindness, altruism, or selflessness, is the principle or practice of
concern for the welfare of others – in short, it’s putting other
people’s needs before your own
i
. Evidence has shown that
helping others can have a positive effect on your own mental
health and well-being. For example, it can reduce stress, and
improve mood, self-esteem, and happiness.
Kindness and Mental Health
What are the benefits?
Helping others feel good! When you help others, it promotes positive physiological changes in the brain
associated with happiness. Helping others improves social support, encourages us to be more physically
active, distracts from our problems, and allows us to engage in meaningful activity.
Sense of belonging & reduces isolation: Face to face activities can reduce loneliness and isolation.
It Helps Keep things in Perspective: Difference perspectives can impact our outlook on life. Helping others in
need can provide us with perspective and allow us to appreciate what we have.
It’s Contagious! Acts of Kindness have the potential to make the world happier and improve confidence, control,
and optimism.
The More You Do for Others, the More You Do for Yourself: Evidence shows that the benefits of helping others
has long lasting affection by providing a “kindness bank” of memories.
It Reduces Stress: Positive emotions reduce stress and boost our immune system.
It Can Help Us Live Longer: Giving and helping others may increase how long we live. Evidence shows that
those who give support live longer than those who don’t.
Things to Consider
• Do Something You
Enjoy
• Keep Others in Mind
• Don’t Overdo It!
• Keep a Good Deeds
Diary
What You Can Do
• Volunteering
• Mentoring
• Doing something for a good cause
• Random acts of kindness
To learn more about mental health and ways you can enhance it, visit www.novascotia.cmha.ca
i
Mental Health Foundation, n.d.
Australian Institute of Family Counselling, 2016
Health Insurance Fund of Australia, 2018
Kerr, S.L, O’Donovan, A., & Pepping, C.A. (2014). Can gratitude and kindness interventions enhance well-being in a clinical sample? Journal of Happiness Studies, 16(1), 17-36.
Post, S.G. (2005). Altruism, happiness, and health: it’s good to be good. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12(2), 66-77.
Davydov, D.M., Stewart, R., Ritchie, K., & Chaudieu, I. (2010). Resilience and mental health. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 479-495.
Schwartz, C.E., Meisenhelder, J.B., Ma, Y., & Reed, G.W. (2003). Altruistic social interest behaviors are associated with better mental health. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(5), 778-785.
