Random Acts of Kindness Week Starts Today

As happens every year, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th. What was, at one time, a feast to honor a saint and martyr has become a day to share romantic love with the world. But there is more to Valentine’s Day than meets the eye. In fact, the day occurs smack in the middle of what’s known as Random Acts of Kindness week. What is that? How can you participate? Let’s take a closer look.

The History of Random Acts of Kindness Week

It all started in 1982. Anne Herbert wrote, “Perform random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty” on a restaurant receipt. It became the kind of slogan that appeared on t-shirts and bumper stickers.

In 1993, a professor at a college in Bakersfield, California tasked his students with actually performing these random acts of kindness. Since it was at the dawn of the internet, these stories began to circulate.

It was in Denver, Colorado that the first Random Acts of Kindness Day was celebrated. The whole week came along just two years ago in 2018.

Why Kindness Matters

On our blog, we’ve talked a lot about gratitude and how the act of being thankful can help you stay grounded, healthy, and happy. The same is true for kindness. Just like the science of gratitude, there is a science of kindness that shows it has many positive benefits.

Kindness towards others releases oxytocin which is often called the “love hormone.” But it isn’t just about romantic love. Oxytocin helps us feel happier, more generous, and even helpful. But the hormone itself is good for heart health.

Kindness is closely tied to empathy. When you put yourself in someone else’s shoes and see the world from their perspective, you can act in a more compassionate way. For some people, more empathy leads to stress and anxiety along with a feeling of helplessness. But you can reduce your anxious feelings and lower stress by performing random acts of kindness.

And, just like gratitude, kindness is contagious. If you’re kind to someone else, they’re more likely to be kind in their next interaction. A random act of kindness, something not expected or necessary, can go a long way to improve the lives of everyone around you as the kindness spreads.