Do you wonder if there is a physiological benefit to being kind? People talk about how embracing a daily gratitude practice has been shown to boost feel-good chemicals in the brain.

But what about being kind?

Can the simple habit of choosing to be kind toward others also improve our physical and mental wellbeing? Here are a few reasons why it benefits our body, mind and spirit to be kind.

Being kind improves the quality of our friendships. By showing kindness to others in our daily words and deeds, we are better able to foster healthy relationships with other, kind people.

Kindness begets kindness, which means the more kindness we share with others, the more it keeps coming back around – creating a positive, healing energy among our circle of friends and associates.

Being kind helps us keep positive thoughts flowing while steering clear of negativity. When we keep our thoughts focused on all of the good that life has to offer, we tend to feel calmer and more clear-headed.

The focus on saying kind words and doing kind deeds keeps our minds primed for higher thinking which means there’s no room for negative, obsessive, neurotic thoughts that will pull us into a state of fear, negative arousal and nervous tension.

The kindness we spread attracts other, kind people. The kind vibe compounds on itself. First, we’re offering a gift of kindness to a friend or someone we know. Then, that person is positively affected by our gesture of kindness. They pay the gift forward to someone else.

That person also senses a loving thought, word or deed aimed at them. Eventually, the spirit of kindness finds its way back to you – and you’re attracting even more kindness from like-minded souls who share the generosity of your heart.

Being kind puts us in a calm state of mind.

When we think kind thoughts, we soothe our nerves which means that heart rate steadies, breathing slows, and stress hormones are not being produced by our bodies.

Remember, I believe in you much love xx