Kindness Media Rapidly Inspires Viewers and Increases Happiness, Calm, Gratitude, and Generosity in a Healthcare Setting

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Stress is a ubiquitous aspect of modern life that affects both mental and physical health. Clinical care settings can be particularly stressful for both patients and providers. Kindness and compassion are buffers for the negative effects of stress, likely through strengthening positive interpersonal connection. In previous laboratory-based studies, simply watching kindness media uplifts (elevates) viewers, increases altruism, and promotes connection to others. The objective of the present study is to examine whether kindness media can affect viewers in a real-world, pediatric healthcare setting.Methods: Parents and staff in a pediatric dental clinic were studied. Study days were randomized for viewers to watch either original kindness media or the standard televised children’s programming that the clinic shows. Participants scored self-rated pre-media emotions in a survey, watched either media type for 8 min, and then completed the survey. All participants were informed that they would receive a gift card for their participation. After completion of the survey, participants were asked if they wanted to keep the card or donate it to a family in need.Results: Fifty (50) participants completed the study; 28 were parents and 22 were staff. In comparison to viewers of children’s programming, participants who watched kindness media had significant increases in feeling happy, calmer, more grateful, and less irritated (p < 0.05), with trends observed in feeling more optimistic and less anxious. Kindness media caused marked increases in viewers’ reports of feeling inspired, moved, or touched (p < 0.001). No change was observed in self-reported compassion, although baseline levels were self-rated as very high. People who watched kindness media were also more generous, with 85% donating their honoraria compared to 54% of Standard viewers (p = 0.03).Conclusions: Kindness media can increase positive emotions and promote generosity in a healthcare setting.

Kindness as a Stress Reduction–Health Promotion Intervention: A Review of the Psychobiology of Caring

“…People were happier, calmer, more grateful, and more generous than after watching children's programming. 73 Figure 3 shows a still image example of kindness media. A video example of kindness media used in this study can be seen here: https:// vimeo.com/manage/392331523/general.…”

What's Playing in Your Waiting Room? Patient and Provider Stress and the Impact of Waiting Room Media

“…The impact of kindness media was recently tested in a healthcare setting (pediatric dental clinic) (88). Fifty parents and staff were randomized to view either children's commercial television or kindness media.…”

Longitudinal study of an emerging COVID-19 stigma: Media exposure, danger appraisal, and stress.

“…As noted in the literature review, interpersonal and mediated messages about health or other kinds of threats do not have to use stigma frames (e.g., see Dragojevic et al, 2014). When media use other frames that induce positive emotions (e.g., hope, gratitude, and inspiration) or moving, self-transcendent experiences, media exposure can result in less stress and more compassion for others (e.g., Fryburg et al, 2021) as well as enhanced feelings of intergroup connectedness (Oliver et al, 2015). A question for future research is whether exposure to such positive frames can moderate the effects of exposure to stigma frames on danger appraisal.…”