Feeling the Christmas spirit? Show it through small acts of kindness
Have you felt uplifted through a simple smile, help with a task or a positive interchange with someone — even a stranger? Kindness works both ways. A new study conducted by BYU researcher Julianne Holt-Lunstad finds that offering a single act of kindness each week reduced loneliness, social isolation and social anxiety, and promoted neighborhood relationships.
“I think one of the most profound results of this study is that we measured the person providing the help — doing the acts of kindness,” said Holt-Lunstad, BYU professor of psychology and neuroscience. “They are the ones that benefited. Presumably it helped the person on the receiving end, but we didn’t collect data on them.”
The findings suggest that for individuals feeling isolated or lonely, reaching out to help others might be an unexpected solution. “By helping others, you’re in essence helping yourself,” added Holt-Lunstad, explaining how kindness breaks down barriers by offering the giver a sense of purpose and connection.
Holt-Lunstad’s team created the KIND Challenge, where participants committed to performing at least one act of kindness each week for a month. Over 4,000 participants from three countries chose from various types of kindness, such as offering emotional support, performing small acts of service, sharing information or simply connecting with others.
Participants from the United States experienced a small reduction in loneliness; they also experienced significantly less social isolation and social anxiety, less neighborhood conflict and more neighborhood contacts. UK participants experienced a small reduction in loneliness, greater neighborhood stability and feelings of neighborhood importance. Participants from Australia experienced reduced stress, an increased number of neighborhood contacts and better neighborhood social relationships.
Holt-Lunstad sees the KIND Challenge as a practical way to foster real-world connections.
“This is something that literally anyone can do,” she said. “It’s free. It doesn’t require any kind of training. It doesn’t require any kind of community resources. Basically, anyone can do it, and they can do it in a way that feels comfortable for them, so it’s flexible, too.”
While the study has immediate implications for public health campaigns; it also points to exciting avenues of future research. For example, how can people better understand potential mechanisms such as reciprocity (i.e., kindness fosters kindness), purpose, and belonging? Ideally, Holt-Lunstad would like to help young adults, who are particularly affected by loneliness.
“What we do see in surveys more broadly is that young adults (and to some extent adolescents) consistently show the highest rates of loneliness,” Holt-Lunstad said.
Drawing from her work on the 2023 US Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community, Holt-Lunstad is currently conducting research on loneliness and connection among college students, with plans to expand her studies across a number of campuses.
“My goal is to help students thrive in a comprehensive way,” Holt-Lunstad said.
