Have you ever wondered why you feel a little better after doing something nice for someone else? Turns out there's a legit reason! In this episode, Abi and Mike dive into the research on kindness and how being kind can improve your own mental wellness. But how can we move beyond science and actually leverage this research to change the world through action? Here's a thought: How about we organize a national day of good deeds to promote acts of kindness and good deeds! Tune in to learn about the science of kindness and about PSYC Good Deed Day. If that sounds cool, but you don't want to hear us drone on about science, then go to our good deed website to learn more. And, if you're down with the science and want to read more, you can find today's featured articles at the links below:
Naclerio, M., Lazar, L., Hornstein, E. A., & Eisenberger, N. I. (2025). Exploring the effects of prosocial and self-kindness interventions on mental health outcomes. Emotion. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001577 (it's not open access, so you may need to ask APA to send this to you, or contact the authors (at) ucla.edu).
(open access) Cregg, D. R., & Cheavens, J. S. (2022). Healing through helping: an experimental investigation of kindness, social activities, and reappraisal as well-being interventions. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 18(6), 924–941.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2022.2154695
