Research in Psychology shows that there is a link between kindness and well-being throughout life, and that being kind makes us genuinely happy in a number of ways.
For example just deciding to be generous to others activates a part of the brain called the striatum. This area of the brain responds to things we find rewarding, like food and even addictive drugs – and it’s likely that the activity in this area is the biological basis of the feel-good emotion some describe as a “warm glow” when helping others.
You can discover more about this and five reasons why being kind makes you feel good – according to science in an article by Sussex academics, Professor Robin Banerjee and Jo Cutler.
Kindness is one of our core values at Sussex, we want to be known as a University that is kind, where we care for each other and the world around us – and with Sussex researchers from across a wide range of disciplines studying kindness and its impact on people and communities, we are helping to demonstrate the incredible value of kindness.
Professor Robin Banerjee, who heads the ‘Sussex Kindness Research’ network at the University of Sussex, explains: “Kindness isn’t just about individual acts of kindness. It’s also about creating a culture where we can come together with different perspectives, recognise and celebrate those differences, and share and exchange ideas in a respectful and kind way.”
Finally, why not be kind to yourself and join in the celebration of World Kindness Day on Wednesday 13 November, when the New Note Orchestra will premier Kind Rebellion at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts.
It’s a free lunchtime concert of uplifting music, poetry and animations that celebrate kindness.
After the performance there’ll be a panel discussion with Bernadette Russell, author of the Little Book of Kindness, Professor Banerjee and Jo Cutler, and other kindness experts from the London School of Economics and University of Essex.
New Note Orchestra is an award-winning charity based in Brighton that uses performing music and storytelling to help people recover from addition to drugs and alcohol. It’s the first recovery orchestra in the world. Kind Rebellion has been composed to show how being kind to yourself and everyone else is good for our mental health.
Tickets are free but to be sure of your place, book a seat at ACCA’s website.