Doing Good Does You Good

Often times, many forget to be kind to one another. When we are performing out our daily activities we forget to think about other people. Individuals can be naturally selfish or self- centered. There are multiple obstacles working against our being kind to one another. Our own success being one of them. We must remember to put ourselves in the shoes of the other person, in order to understand the issues in front of us. It is not easy to become detached ourselves from how we usually are nor how we are born, but it is imperative that we try to ensure a brighter future.

“For the dead and the living we must bear witness”(Elie Wiesel). The book “Night” was published in 1956, by Elie Wiesel. He talks about the Holocaust and how he survived it and what the conservation camp was like and how he was treated. Throughout “night” one of the major themes was the idea of small acts of kindness. These moments in the story are important because they show what a huge difference one person can make.

The benefits of generosity for both our physical and mental health are outstanding. generosity reduces stress, supports one’s physical health, enhances one’s sense of purpose, and helps fight depression, it has also been shown to increase one’s lifespan because all the health benefits of not being stressed. You may think you are being selfless, but you are also benefiting yourself in a way you did not know about. Developing compassion increases our happiness. In an experiment published in Science by Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton, they gave money to; two sets of groups, one that spent money on themselves and the other spent it on other people. It was found that the people who bought presents for others showed an increase in happiness, this was even the case with children giving treats to others. We are using an unselfish event and making for an ego boost. However, by doing so we need to become conscious of the world around us.

Kindness comes in different forms, that can alter someone's day instantly. In “Enrique's Journey”, he witnesses kindness from several people in his time of ultimate weakness. Kindness in my life may not be that extreme, but it is appreciated. Even though giant acts of kindness aren't as prevalent as

There is a time in every person’s life where a certain other person gives them words of strong encouragement. There is also a time in every person’s life where they distribute words of kindness to others as well.

Dr. Steve Maraboli, a behavioral scientist, once said, “Every single time you help somebody stand up, you are helping humanity rise” (“goodreads” n.pag.). People’s positive view on society is dependent on someone stepping up and helping out someone that could use a boost. In troublesome situations, people do not always have a positive figure to stand up for them, but when they do, this can affect people’s positive outlook on the world.

The feeling of doing the right thing not only puts the person you are helping in a good mood but also it may put you in one

Additionally, being exposed to someone else’s pro-social behaviour influences our own as well. Seeing someone else do something good for someone has been shown to increase pro-social behaviour in others. That person is perceived as a role-model for pro-social behaviour in the eyes of others. This, however, does not mean that pro-social behaviour will be influenced in all people, as each individual behaves differently. One individual may look at a pro-social act and think it is good that someone intervened and move on; another may look at it and learn from it in hopes of implementing it into their lives in the future.

* One thing is always sure when you 're a nice person; people will tend to reciprocate in your time of need because as individuals, we 're bound to face challenges, disappointments and looses at some point in our lives. When you 've been nice to others during their struggles, it 's more likely they will return the favor during your hard times. That is just human nature, most of us feel really motivated to help those that have helped us, i am a very sure bet in this regard. It’s an aspect of me that i strive to do more often because i feel that individual has slightly changed my world with his acts of kindness. This is significantly valuable and it makes us feel important which is something we all want as individuals.

I can make a difference in the world by being kind to everyone at any circumstance. For example in the article, “The Science of Good Deeds” the author states, “"One study showed that when men felt loved by their wives, they were less likely to experience chest pain that might signal a heart attack." This just goes to show that being kind can benefit any person in a positive way. Additionally, “Angel in Disguise” shows us that being kind to someone can not only benefit the recipient, but it can also benefit yourself. Mrs. Thompson was selfish and cruel before she met Maggie, while she was taking care of Maggie her heart changed and she became less selfish. Furthermore, in the song “Hall of Fame, I learned that you can accomplish anything as long as you try. This proves that anything is possible, but it isn’t always easy to do.

Christopher Conye’s book titled Doing Bad by Doing Good: Why Humanitarian Action Fails examines that exact question. Why is it that government funded relief efforts often times fail when posed with the task of providing long lasting relief to those in need? After all, wouldn’t it make sense for people who are well equipped with the necessary funds and the intent to do well yield a positive result? Conye stresses his readers to look beyond good intentions and made it okay for me to question efficiency of well-known government relief programs. His focus is to shift the view of what should be done, to what could be done realistically. I know now that those two questions bring forth two very different answers.

Reason three, Being nice could encourage others to be nice as well. When you name

Treating others with kindness benefits everyone involved. For example, in the story “Angel in Disguise”, the author states "We'll keep her a day or two longer; she is so weak and helpless," said Mrs. Joe Thompson…” She was starting to open up to Maggie and realize that she loves her as if she were her own child. This helps lift Mrs. Thompson’s sprits and shows her that she can feel feelings. This shows how being kind to Maggie made her a more loving person in the end. Additionally, in the article, “Teaching Kindness,” the author states that “As minds and bodies grow, it’s abundantly clear that children require a healthy dose of the warm-and-fuzzies to thrive as healthy, happy, well-rounded individuals.” This is proof that children need kindness

(2013), conducted a study to see how popularity affected a child’s generosity. Popularity has been shown to play a role in how generous a child is. Results from a study have revealed that popular children are more inclined to be generous in public environments, while less popular children are generous in both private and public environments (Chen et al., 2013). In this study, children were given four colored bands, and in private they decided how many bands to donate to another person and put the bands they wanted to donate in an envelope and gave it to the experimenter. After the envelopes were distributed, a game was played where they were assigned either a private or public treatment. In the public treatment, the children were informed that their donations and decisions would be written on the black board for everyone to see and in the private treatment, their decisions remained a secret. Results showed that, on average, children shared more in public than they did in private (Chen et al., 2013). Researchers also discovered age had a role in sharing too, the older participants shared more than the younger ones did. A study conducted by Lipscomb et al. (1983) also shows these results. Kindergarteners and sixth graders participated in a study to determine the effects of a model’s behavior and verbal appeals on generosity. The children were exposed to a generous model and won a fixed amount of money and were given the opportunity to donate it to charity. The

People give back to the community through many ways such as volunteering time and donating money. Some may feel a sense of duty to give back to society either in a direct or indirect way. Having more free time can also provide people with the opportunity to volunteer and stay socially connected to others. Volunteering can create an avenue to maintain life satisfaction and psychological well-being (Morrow-Howell, 2010). Research has been completed that indicates helping others has a positive effect on the benefactor (Piliavin, 2003). Through scientific research previously conducted, this essay will argue that volunteering has a positive effect on the psychological well-being of seniors.