Want a Powerful Depression-Fighting Tool? Try Kindness
“We all know that acts of kindness can brighten someone else’s day,” a Today.com article begins, but research shows it can profoundly lift yours as well. A new study shows that kindness is a powerful weapon in fighting depression and anxiety.
According to new Ohio State University research reported in The Journal of Positive Psychology, “performing acts of kindness may even result in greater social well-being than techniques used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat depression and anxiety.”
Kindness vs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
What makes kindness so potent a tool? “Social connection seems to be one of the most powerful ingredients for flourishing in life,” explains David Cregg, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and co-author of the study. “We demonstrated that performing acts of kindness promotes social connection, a construct that is a key predictor of both well-being and recovery from anxiety and depressive disorders,” he added.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a highly-effective evidence-based technique for treating anxiety and depression. According to the American Psychological Association, CBT centers around a few core principles:
Psychological problems are partly based on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking and learned patterns of unhelpful behavior. By changing your thinking and behavioral patterns, you can cope more effectively with challenges in your life.
What CBT does not focus on, however, is social connection, an area that is frequently impaired in people suffering from anxiety or depression. The researchers set out to study whether kindness might more effectively meet that need.
Kindness promotes social connection
In the five-week study, 122 people with high levels of anxiety or depression symptoms were split into three groups. Two groups practiced CBT techniques, like planning social activities, while the third group was asked to perform three small acts of kindness two days each week – anything from volunteering to baking cookies for friends to smiling at strangers.
At the end of the five weeks, “folks who participated in the acts of kindness group reported that they felt less depressed, less anxious,” said the study’s co-author, Jennifer Cheavens, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Ohio State University.
While “all three groups reported greater life satisfaction and a reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms, participants in the acts of kindness group showed the most improvement.” Not only that, but 75% percent of the participants continued performing acts of kindness even after the study’s conclusion.
As Cregg summarized, “There just seems to be something about having social connection that brings meaning and purpose into our lives. … Without it, everything else just kind of feels empty.”
In a January 2023 segment on TODAY, Kojo Sarfo, a psychotherapist and mental health nurse practitioner who holds a doctorate of nursing practice, elaborated on the benefits of kindness.
Showing kindness is practical, powerful – and free
Performing an act of kindness is “one of the most powerful things that you can do, and it’s so practical.” A little thing like holding the door for someone or complimenting a stranger can have a big impact. Even if you’re suffering from anxiety or depression and cannot get out of bed, you can leave someone a text or voicemail.
“For those who are struggling with depression and or anxiety who may feel hopeless and helpless, just having a connection with people … goes a long way,” Sarfo added. It also gives you a sense of greater purpose, an awareness of your own value and impact on others. “You realize that people do appreciate (you), people enjoy having (you) here on the planet. When you’re depressed and you’re hopeless, you sometimes forget that,” he explained.
Intrigued? Want to give kindness a try? Try Action for Happiness’ Kindness Calendar, a daily dose of free, mood-boosting small acts of kindness.
Read the full article or watch the segment at TODAY.
Kee, Caroline. “Performing acts of kindness is a powerful tool to fight depression and anxiety, study finds.” Today.com, 20 Jan 2023, https://www.today.com/health/mind-body/acts-kindness-may-ease-depression-anxiety-symptoms-better-therapy-rcna66690.