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our-bodies-the-holistic-impact-of-kindness

Our Bodies: The Holistic Impact of Kindness

Last week, we focused our thoughts on the impact kindness has on the mind. In conjunction with this, I wanted to shift my attention to the impact that being kind can have on our bodies. 

Our bodies and their reactions

Most of us innately sense that compassion, love, and social support have health benefits for recipients. A well supported scientific study in the late 1970s examined the effects of a high fat and cholesterol diet in rabbits. During the study, a strange anomaly was apparent. A subgroup of rabbits had 60% less Atherosclerosis than the group as a whole, even though they ate the same high fat, experimental diet. The results proved inexplicable. The lab assistant who fed and cared for this group of rabbits then revealed the extra levels of care that he delivered. He had taken them out of their cages, petted them, and talked to them before feeding them.

The study was repeated twice with the same results and was reported in the journal Science. Whilst I must acknowledge that these findings were obtained through animal observation, I feel that it is still a testament to the vitality of love, closeness and caring in conscious beings.

In the 1990s, a group of researchers revisited a famous study, conducted among nuns. The nuns had each taken the time to write a short personal essay about their lives. Those who expressed the highest number of positive emotions lived 10 years longer. They were also somewhat protected from dementia.  

Selflessness and altruism also increase the quality of life, as well as the quantity. A recent study shows that retired people over the age of 65, who had volunteered to help others, displayed significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and will-to-live. Some people, on the other hand, may find symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatisation are reduced. 

Helpers High

I finally wanted to acknowledge a phenomenon called the “Helper’s High”. Research shows that two-thirds of helpers reported a distinct physical sensation associated with helping: 

50% report a “high” feeling and:

43% felt stronger and more energetic

28% felt physically warm

22% felt calmer and less depressed

21% felt greater self-worth

13% experienced fewer aches and pains 

For more exclusive advice, particularly regarding Metta Meditation, visit my website, or reach out on one of my platforms. I adore hearing from you. 

All my love,

Jayney

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