Random Acts of Kindness: the Secret Sauce to a Happy, Healthy Life

The woman in line ahead of me sensed my panic. 

I had taken my elderly mother to an appointment for her second COVID-19 vaccine, and upon arriving we found ourselves at the end of a long line that snaked several times around a cavernous auditorium. Due to mobility issues, my mother has difficulty standing for more than five or 10 minutes at a time. With about 200 people in front of us, this was not going to be a quick in-and-out as was the case at the Torrington Area Health District clinic four weeks earlier. My heart sank.

With no one nearby to assist us, we were about to leave when a middle-aged woman approached us from near the front of the line and insisted we exchange places. In that moment, this stranger’s selfless act of kindness restored my faith in humanity. Were it not for social distancing rules, I would have hugged her. She will never know the depth of my gratitude. But, hopefully, she benefited somehow from her benevolence.

Have you ever noticed that when you do something nice for someone, you get a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, too? There’s a scientific reason for that. Studies have shown that altruism increases dopamine and serotonin, the feel-good chemicals in the brain.  

A serotonin rush causes feelings of satisfaction and well-being. Doing something nice for someone also boosts endorphins, a phenomenon referred to as “helper’s high,” resulting in increased energy levels and happiness, and decreased stress and anxiety.

Kindness also releases the hormone oxytocin, which reduces inflammation and protects the heart by dilating blood vessels, thereby lowering blood pressure and strengthening the heart, both emotionally and physically. Maybe that’s where the adage “you have a big heart” came from. 

Likewise, the teachings of Buddha reveal that the simple path to happiness comes from unconditional compassion, or karuna as it’s referred to in Buddhism. True compassion, as Buddha has taught, is not helping others and then seeking praise or fame or glory. 

In other words, true compassion is not the form of help where we ask others to repay our kindness or even thank us; it is daily living that is helpful to all,  something as simple as conserving water or picking up trash along the roadway, or holding a door open for the person behind you.

Now that society is slowly starting to resemble pre-pandemic life, this may be the perfect time to reach out to friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, strangers through random acts of kindness. When out in public, smile and say hello to people you may pass every day but have never spoken to, or while waiting in line in the grocery store — still socially distanced, of course.

Spring is the perfect time to help an elderly neighbor. Offer to mow their lawn, weed the garden, walk the dog or simply invite them for a cup of tea and a chat. Check on someone who has been going through a tough time. Kindness binds communities. 

Building your relationship with others will have a positive effect on your emotional well-being as you take time out from the stressors in your own life and focus on helping others.

A few weeks ago I returned to my car after shopping and found a small rubber ducky tucked into the door handle. A note tag, in the shape of the iconic Jeep grill, dangled from an iridescent purple ribbon. The message read: “Beep Beep, Sweet Jeep. You have been DUCKED by a fellow Jeeper.” And on the reverse side, “Love, J & L.” I may never meet J or L, but I’d be willing to guess that they have a big heart.

Kindness just may be the secret to a happy, healthy life.

Latest News

All are welcome at The Mahaiwe

Paquito D’Rivera performs at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on April 5.

Geandy Pavon

Natalia Bernal is the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s education and community engagement manager and is, in her own words, “the one who makes sure that Mahaiwe events are accessible to all.”

The Mahaiwe’s community engagement program is rooted in the belief that the performing arts should be for everyone. “We are committed to establishing and growing partnerships with neighboring community and arts organizations to develop pathways for overcoming social and practical barriers,” Bernal explained. “Immigrants, people of color, communities with low income, those who have traditionally been underserved in the performing arts, should feel welcomed at the Mahaiwe.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Living with the things you love:
a conversation with Mary Randolph Carter
Mary Randolph Carter teaches us to surround ourselves with what matters to live happily ever after.
Carter Berg

There is magic in a home filled with the things we love, and Mary Randolph Carter, affectionately known as “Carter,” has spent a lifetime embracing that magic. Her latest book, “Live with the Things You Love … and You’ll Live Happily Ever After,” is about storytelling, joy, and honoring life’s poetry through the objects we keep.

“This is my tenth book,” Carter said. “At the root of each is my love of collecting, the thrill of the hunt, and living surrounded by things that conjure up family, friends, and memories.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Beloved classic film ‘The Red Shoes’ comes to the big screen for Triplex benefit
Provided

On Saturday, April 5, at 3 p.m., The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington and Jacob’s Pillow, the dance festival in Becket, Massachusetts, are presenting a special benefit screening of the cinematic masterpiece, “The Red Shoes,” followed by a discussion and Q&A. Featuring guest speakers Norton Owen, director of preservation at Jacob’s Pillow, and dance historian Lynn Garafola, the event is a fundraiser for The Triplex.

“We’re pitching in, as it were, because we like to help our neighbors,” said Norton. “They (The Triplex) approached us with the idea, wanting some input if they were going to do a dance film. I thought of Lynn as the perfect person also to include in this because of her knowledge of The Ballets Russes and the book that she wrote about Diaghilev. There is so much in this film, even though it’s fictional, that derives from the Ballets Russes.” Garafola, the leading expert on the Ballets Russes under Serge Diaghilev, 1909–1929, the most influential company in twentieth-century theatrical dance, said, “We see glimpses of that Russian émigré tradition, performances we don’t see much of today. The film captures the artifice of ballet, from the behind-the-scenes world of dressers and conductors to the sheer passion of the audience.”

Keep ReadingShow less