Happy People Become Happier through Kindness: A Counting Kindnesses Intervention

Abstract

We examined the relationship between the character strength of kindness and subjective happiness (Study 1), and the effects of a counting kindnesses intervention on subjective happiness (Study 2). In Study 1, participants were 175 Japanese undergraduate students and in Study 2, participants were 119 Japanese women (71 in the intervention group and 48 in the control group). Results showed that: (a) Happy people scored higher on their motivation to perform, and their recognition and enactment of kind behaviors. (b) Happy people have more happy memories in daily life in terms of both quantity and quality. (c) Subjective happiness was increased simply by counting one's own acts of kindness for one week. (d) Happy people became more kind and grateful through the counting kindnesses intervention. Discussion centers on the importance of kindness in producing subjective happiness.

Kindness Is the Language That the Deaf Can Hear and the Blind Can See: Kindness, Theory of Mind and Well-Being in Adolescents

“…These results suggest that the adolescent-specific well-being benefits of kindness are social and may be more related to aspects of friendships and peer relationships, rather than psychological aspects of well-being such as how one copes with stress and feelings of happiness. Our results contrast previous research with adults that indicate well-being benefits of kindness are multifaceted (i.e., including issues of mental health as well as social relationship factors) [ 5 , 33 , 34 ], raising important questions about which population may benefit from psychological well-being focused kindness interventions. Such age-related differences in findings suggests the need for future research on links between mentalization, prosociality, and emotional and social well-being across the lifespan.…”

“…It would be beneficial for future studies to consider other dimensions of psychological well-being in adolescent samples to further investigate the benefits of kindness in terms of well-being. Considering that our findings contradict studies into the positive impact of prosociality on psychological well-being in non-adolescent samples [ 5 , 33 , 34 ], it is important for future studies to further investigate whether kindness exclusively supports social well-being in adolescents. It may also be beneficial for follow-up studies to exercise a range of sampling and experimental methods to triangulate any potential biases as a result of self-reported data or volunteer sampling.…”

Kindness Is the Language That the Deaf Can Hear and the Blind Can See: Kindness, Theory of Mind and Well-Being in Adolescents

“…These results suggest that the adolescent-specific well-being benefits of kindness are social and may be more related to aspects of friendships and peer relationships, rather than psychological aspects of well-being such as how one copes with stress and feelings of happiness. Our results contrast previous research with adults that indicate well-being benefits of kindness are multifaceted (i.e., including issues of mental health as well as social relationship factors) [ 5 , 33 , 34 ], raising important questions about which population may benefit from psychological well-being focused kindness interventions. Such age-related differences in findings suggests the need for future research on links between mentalization, prosociality, and emotional and social well-being across the lifespan.…”

“…It would be beneficial for future studies to consider other dimensions of psychological well-being in adolescent samples to further investigate the benefits of kindness in terms of well-being. Considering that our findings contradict studies into the positive impact of prosociality on psychological well-being in non-adolescent samples [ 5 , 33 , 34 ], it is important for future studies to further investigate whether kindness exclusively supports social well-being in adolescents. It may also be beneficial for follow-up studies to exercise a range of sampling and experimental methods to triangulate any potential biases as a result of self-reported data or volunteer sampling.…”

Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, Criterion Validity, and Reliability of the School Kindness Scale: Turkish Middle School Sample

“…In addition, life satisfaction and resilience are two major indicators of psychological wellbeing. Previous research highlighted the importance of kindness on psychological well-being (Otake et al, 2006). Consistent with the previous research, the findings of the present study revealed that school kindness was associated with life satisfaction among middle school students.…”

Comparing the effects of performing and recalling acts of kindness

“…Supporting previous research (e.g. Chancellor et al, in press;Otake et al, 2006), we found that both performing and recalling acts of kindnesseither individually or togetherimproved well-being outcomes when compared to a control group. However, our study did not find differences in the benefits of performing kindness versus recalling kindness versus doing both.…”

Kindness Is the Language That the Deaf Can Hear and the Blind Can See: Kindness, Theory of Mind and Well-Being in Adolescents

“…These results suggest that the adolescent-specific well-being benefits of kindness are social and may be more related to aspects of friendships and peer relationships, rather than psychological aspects of well-being such as how one copes with stress and feelings of happiness. Our results contrast previous research with adults that indicate well-being benefits of kindness are multifaceted (i.e., including issues of mental health as well as social relationship factors) [ 5 , 33 , 34 ], raising important questions about which population may benefit from psychological well-being focused kindness interventions. Such age-related differences in findings suggests the need for future research on links between mentalization, prosociality, and emotional and social well-being across the lifespan.…”

“…It would be beneficial for future studies to consider other dimensions of psychological well-being in adolescent samples to further investigate the benefits of kindness in terms of well-being. Considering that our findings contradict studies into the positive impact of prosociality on psychological well-being in non-adolescent samples [ 5 , 33 , 34 ], it is important for future studies to further investigate whether kindness exclusively supports social well-being in adolescents. It may also be beneficial for follow-up studies to exercise a range of sampling and experimental methods to triangulate any potential biases as a result of self-reported data or volunteer sampling.…”

Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, Criterion Validity, and Reliability of the School Kindness Scale: Turkish Middle School Sample

“…In addition, life satisfaction and resilience are two major indicators of psychological wellbeing. Previous research highlighted the importance of kindness on psychological well-being (Otake et al, 2006). Consistent with the previous research, the findings of the present study revealed that school kindness was associated with life satisfaction among middle school students.…”

Comparing the effects of performing and recalling acts of kindness

“…Supporting previous research (e.g. Chancellor et al, in press;Otake et al, 2006), we found that both performing and recalling acts of kindnesseither individually or togetherimproved well-being outcomes when compared to a control group. However, our study did not find differences in the benefits of performing kindness versus recalling kindness versus doing both.…”

Kindness Is the Language That the Deaf Can Hear and the Blind Can See: Kindness, Theory of Mind and Well-Being in Adolescents

“…These results suggest that the adolescent-specific well-being benefits of kindness are social and may be more related to aspects of friendships and peer relationships, rather than psychological aspects of well-being such as how one copes with stress and feelings of happiness. Our results contrast previous research with adults that indicate well-being benefits of kindness are multifaceted (i.e., including issues of mental health as well as social relationship factors) [ 5 , 33 , 34 ], raising important questions about which population may benefit from psychological well-being focused kindness interventions. Such age-related differences in findings suggests the need for future research on links between mentalization, prosociality, and emotional and social well-being across the lifespan.…”

“…It would be beneficial for future studies to consider other dimensions of psychological well-being in adolescent samples to further investigate the benefits of kindness in terms of well-being. Considering that our findings contradict studies into the positive impact of prosociality on psychological well-being in non-adolescent samples [ 5 , 33 , 34 ], it is important for future studies to further investigate whether kindness exclusively supports social well-being in adolescents. It may also be beneficial for follow-up studies to exercise a range of sampling and experimental methods to triangulate any potential biases as a result of self-reported data or volunteer sampling.…”

Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, Criterion Validity, and Reliability of the School Kindness Scale: Turkish Middle School Sample

“…In addition, life satisfaction and resilience are two major indicators of psychological wellbeing. Previous research highlighted the importance of kindness on psychological well-being (Otake et al, 2006). Consistent with the previous research, the findings of the present study revealed that school kindness was associated with life satisfaction among middle school students.…”

Comparing the effects of performing and recalling acts of kindness

“…Supporting previous research (e.g. Chancellor et al, in press;Otake et al, 2006), we found that both performing and recalling acts of kindnesseither individually or togetherimproved well-being outcomes when compared to a control group. However, our study did not find differences in the benefits of performing kindness versus recalling kindness versus doing both.…”