Random Acts of Kindness

The term “random acts of kindness” became a kind of pre-internet meme in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1980s. It originated with Anne Herbert, a Berkeley writer and activist who coined the exhortation to “practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty,” believing that ordinary people behaving with compassion and reverence for the world could become a revolutionary force for peace.

The notion of random kindness quickly took on a life of its own, spawning a proliferation of books, organizations and communities dedicated to promoting these small but radical gestures. Founded in 1995, the Colorado-based Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK) provides free resources (lesson plans, training materials, posters and more) to help schools, workplaces and families “make kindness the norm.” In 1997, Tokyo hosted the first conference of the World Kindness Movement (WKM), now an international NGO that seeks to “build a kinder and more compassionate world.”

Over the past two decades, the case for random acts of kindness has also been made by numerous academic studies across multiple disciplines. Indeed, research demonstrates that people who practice kindness feel happier and are better able to regulate their emotions. Further, the biochemical effects of expressing kindness can reduce blood pressure, inflammation and the hormones that produce stress. Moreover, research demonstrates that acts of kindness have broad ripple effects, as people on the receiving end of kindness – and even those who witness it – are inspired to extend the same everyday generosity to others. In this way, the evidence seems to support Herbert’s original vision, that the simple act of offering someone a flower, a smile or a helping hand can spark positive change in the world.

Contributor: Erin Brown