Compassion is Good For You
A growing body of research shows that compassion reduces anxiety, depression and stress and may also boost immunity—along with longevity. We’re born with the instinct to be nice: Even babies and toddlers have the capacity for kindness. . . . Compassion actually gives you a veritable high. Donating money to help others lights up the brain’s pleasure centers—which are typically activated by things like food and sex—according to a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. . . . Simply witnessing an act of compassion triggers feelings of awe, admiration, warmth and love, per a study in the Journal of Positive Psychology (which may be why you compulsively click on stories about people who donate a kidney to a stranger). At the same time, it increases your desire to be more charitable yourself. Compassion also curbs the natural (and anxiety-provoking) tendency to navel-gaze.