While it may sometimes feel like there is too much hate going around, kindness is an innate human trait. As University of Oxford researcher Dr. Oliver Scott Curry explained in an interview with CBS, it’s because “we are social animals.” 

University of London psychologist Anat Bardi provided some survey results to the publication. According to the findings, people valued benevolence or kindness the most, edging out hedonism, creativity, ambition, seeking power, and having an exciting life.

Acts of kindness are also reasonably common, even if people don’t feel that way most of the time. In 2021, the BBC launched a “Kindness Test,” which more than 60,000 people from 144 countries joined, making it the world’s largest psychological study on the topic. 

Survey results showed that 16% of people had received an act of kindness within the hour prior. 43% claimed they had experienced it within the previous day.

However, the Kindness Test revealed the barriers that hinder people from showing goodwill toward others. Some are apprehensive about the possibility of embarrassment or rejection. 

Personality may also play a role. The test revealed that the kindest people scored high on “agreeableness,” extroversion, and openness. This could mean that outgoing people are likely less concerned about rejection, making them more likely to buy a warm meal for someone in need, for example.

Those who aren’t as automatically willing to commit an act of kindness are also likely plagued by “miscalibrated expectations.” Amit Kumar, an assistant professor at The University of Texas at Austin, conducted a study in 2022 where 75 out of 84 participants gave a cup of hot chocolate to a stranger. 

The research participants also underestimated the significance of their act, expecting the recipients’ moods to be an average of 2.7 out of 5. However, the recipients reported feeling much better, with a 3.5 out of 5 mood.

Kumar believes that the participants weren’t fully aware of the impact their seemingly small acts of kindness had on the person. They also failed to realize that generosity can be contagious, and there’s a good chance for the receivers to pay it forward in the future. 

“The fact that you’re being nice to others adds a lot of value beyond whatever the thing is,” Kumar told Technology Networks.

What makes an act of kindness more meaningful is that it comes from the heart, no matter how small. And you may not realize how helpful these gestures can be. 

One blood donation, for example, can help save up to three lives. Giving a random stranger a few genuine words of encouragement can help turn their day around in a massive way.

We’d also like to hear from you, readers. Have you done anything recently that may have seemed out of left field but was actually altruistic in nature? How did that turn out? Share your stories in the comments!