Kindness

Cont'd from page 3

Meta-analysis has demonstrated effectiveness for up to six months after intervention cessation (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2015.1037860

Kindness begets kindness

Another study (where subjects assigned as “givers” practiced 5 acts of kindness over 4 weeks towards “receivers”) found that both givers and receivers benefited from kindness in the short-term and long-term. The study also observed that receivers were 2.5 times more likely to pay their acts of kindness forward compared to “controls” (people who were neither givers not receivers).

https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000321

Kindness and giving makes you healthier and happier

An article in the Greater Good magazine had the following to say about kindness:

Did you know that kinder people actually live longer, healthier lives? People who volunteer tend to experience fewer aches and pains.

Giving help to others protects overall health twice as much as aspirin protects against heart disease. People 55 and older who volunteer for two or more organizations have an impressive 44 percent lower likelihood of dying—and that's after sifting out every other contributing factor, including physical health, exercise, gender, habits like smoking, marital status, and many more. This is a stronger effect than exercising four times a week or going to church; it means that volunteering is nearly as beneficial to our health as quitting smoking!

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_we_get_when_we_give

Kindness makes us happy

Other findings about kindness show that volunteering and helping others is associated with lower levels of both anxiety and depression.

The improvement in mental health outcomes was also seen in a particularly important group—teenagers. To once again quote from article in the Greater Good magazine:

… Adolescents who identify their primary motive as helping others are three times happier than those who lack such altruistic motivation. Similarly, teens who are giving are also happier and more active, involved, excited, and engaged than their less engaged counterparts. Generous behavior reduces adolescent depression and suicide risk,

and several studies have shown that teenagers who volunteer are less likely to fail a subject in school, get pregnant, or abuse substances. Teens who volunteer also tend to be more socially competent and have higher self-esteem.

To summarize, what do we learn from the research? I think it’s back to what 90:11-18 says. God has designed a system where Happiness is Submission to God. We see this with all the behaviors and commandments God tells us to practice in Quran—whether it’s being appreciative, being kind and charitable, suppressing anger, pardoning others, etc.

While the researchers did the research on whoever signed up, I feel the results may be stronger if the people were doing the activities out of a sincere desire to please God alone. Then there is also the consideration of eternal results or benefits, e.g., eternal happiness. Isn’t that what we all want?

So, to conclude, even when it may be a difficult choice, I need to try to remember God, be steadfast, and be kind in the way God wants me to be. So that on the Day of Judgment, I can be among those described in: [52:26] They will say, “We used to be kind and humble among our people. [52:27] “GOD has blessed us, and has spared us the agony of ill winds. [52:28] “We used to implore Him; He is the Most Kind, Most Merciful.”

Faiz