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If You Feel Like The World Is Going To Hell, These 50 Positive Stories May Change Your Mind
Scrolling through the news, the world can feel like a terrible place. But the Instagram account Random Kindness is here to remind us that good still exists. Sharing uplifting stories, heartwarming moments, and random acts of compassion from around the world, it offers a refreshing break from negativity. Each post celebrates the better side of humanity, showcasing how small gestures can make a big impact. Whether it's about strangers helping strangers or a Good Samaritan providing for their community, they prove that even a little love can go a long way.
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Shahram Heshmat, Ph.D., who is an associate professor emeritus of health economics of addiction at the University of Illinois at Springfield, says that ultimately, kindness is about putting other people's interests first, and it makes our lives better in a number of ways.
"Acting kindly makes us feel good. It feels wonderful to do something useful for someone. The 'helper's high' is the uplifting feeling that we experience after doing an act of kindness to others," he writes.
According to the professor, the "helper's high" shows up in our brain's reward system. "The experience is like consuming a piece of chocolate cake or having a pleasant surprise," he explains.
"It feels so good that the brain motivates us to do them again and again. As the proverb goes, it’s better to give than to receive. It makes you feel like your life is valuable."
Kindness is also contagious. "Kind acts can have a ripple effect—for example, giving a genuine compliment to a family member, friend, or colleague. When people receive kindness, they get an emotional boost and are more likely to help someone else," Heshmat adds. "Just hearing that someone else has behaved kindly can motivate us to do the same." These memes definitely add to the spread of the message!
#10
Michael Largey 2 weeks ago
We had a principal shoved down our throats who had no teaching degree, no professional licenses, and no degrees in education. And then he got worse.
Furthermore, Heshmat believes that "kind individuals may even be considered better-looking."
"In other words, being a kind person could make people perceive you as more attractive. We are biologically wired to be drawn to people who are compassionate."
#13
olaff 422 2 weeks ago
This is why it's so hard to "just get a job." Most places will not hire you if you're homeless. Good on ya.
Emma S 2 weeks ago (edited)
Exactly! Given that many employers recruit online now as well, where are people going to fill out applications or write a CV/Resume if they have no computer or Internet? Even if they manage that and get an interview, how are they going to get there with no transport and what will they wear when they've only got the clothes they are wearing and no access to showers etc to clean up? If by some miracle they do get a job, they will possibly have to wait at least a month before they get paid. I hate hearing people say homeless people should just "get a job" like they haven't already thought of that and are choosing to be homeless.
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Patricia Manteuffel 2 weeks ago
I'm guessing he's a kind soul as well. Otis, you're an amazing individual as well!
Marsha Hultberg 6 days ago
Bless your big a** heart Otis. ♥️ He will/and already is paying it forward.
Fabulous chocolate cookie 1 week ago
Sometimes all it takes is just one act of kindness from someone to help you out of poverty
jfalconer73 2 weeks ago
Just needed a chance he got it grabbed by the horns and held on good on ya bud
#14
Shark Lady 2 weeks ago
I've seen this picture so many times but it never fails to make me smile.
We might even have data to back this up. A recent study published in the British Journal of Social Psychology also suggests that people seen as kind and helpful are perceived as more physically attractive.
In their new research, Natalia Kononov and Danit Ein-Gar focused on prosocial behavior—acts of kindness, cooperation, and helpfulness—and tried to understand whether this quality has a unique effect on perceptions of physical beauty. They hypothesized that people might feel motivated to associate with prosocial individuals, viewing them as more attractive because of an unconscious desire to form connections with people who display kindness.
#15
Minecraft_Chicken (He/Chicken) 2 weeks ago
That poor bunny. I hate seeing people who take homeless peoples animals and treat them like $hit. Good thing they were charged.
"Often, we use beauty metaphorically to describe admirable inner qualities, saying someone is ‘beautiful on the inside.’ I was curious to see if this perception has a basis in reality—whether kindness and generosity, qualities associated with inner beauty, actually influence how we perceive someone’s physical attractiveness. Our findings suggest this association isn’t just metaphorical; beautiful acts do, indeed, lead us to see people as more beautiful,” says study author Natalia Kononov, a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
#19
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
Who would ever think that the tree that you plant today will grow and thrive and in 35 years, save a bus load of kids? You just don't know what your good deeds going to do. So do it.
#20
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had some sort of system in place so that if you had to go into hospital or some type of long-term care, automatically your pets would be taken care of and you didn't have to worry about it at all? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Well, we don't have that so this woman has given this man the greatest gift of all. He must have been so heartbroken to have to give up his beloved pet.
The research consisted of ten studies with over 4,000 participants. The team designed a variety of scenarios to assess whether prosocial behavior influenced how physically attractive people appeared to others. Participants in different studies either observed real-life prosocial acts, read descriptions of kind behaviors, or imagined scenarios involving helpful behavior.
To ensure the findings were comprehensive, the researchers accounted for several factors (they compared perceptions of attractiveness when participants saw people acting kindly versus in a neutral context) and explored how consistent prosocial behavior might affect attractiveness differently than one-time acts. They also examined whether the influence of kindness on perceived beauty was stronger than that of other positive traits like humor or intelligence.
#23
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
I don't know this guy's life story but my god, isn't that basically perfection? He obviously enjoyed playing football as a kid, as a teen, made pro, played a few years, got gobs of money, and now at 30 he's young enough to still enjoy life, and instead of blowing it on fancy cars and drÜgs and stupid things, he's living the dream of gardening and helping the community. He was so fortunate and is now sharing his good luck. How wonderful
The results were clear: there was a consistent link between prosocial actions and higher ratings of physical attractiveness. People who were described as engaging in kind or helpful behaviors were rated as more beautiful than those who were not. These findings held true for both male and female observers evaluating targets of either gender, suggesting a broad appeal of prosociality in enhancing physical attractiveness.
#24
"An interesting aspect of our findings is that the effect of prosociality on attractiveness was consistent across genders," Kononov says. "Kindness and generosity made both men and women appear more attractive, regardless of who was being evaluated or who was doing the evaluating. This gender-universal appeal highlights just how broadly kindness can shape perceptions of beauty."
#33
#35
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
Seen this one many times too, (I think four times this week alone) but that doesn't take away from how beautiful this is. He's done an amazing job on those dolls, and it's obviously really important to him to be able to create something that kids can identify with. I think he's a beautiful man with a beautiful heart. Look at that smile :-)
#37
yeeyee 2 weeks ago
That boy probably won't remember that his dad had just gotten off of work before taking him to the game, but he will never forget that his dad took him. A memory that will be cherished, forgotten then remembered again down the road. Bringing joy to his heart Everytime he remembers it.
#38
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
I've seen this one many times, but it's still always makes me smile. Way to step up, guys. You're the best!!!!
#40
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
Those are truly beautiful sweaters. What a wonderful thing to do. To use your time and creative energy to help the world. I wish my next-door neighbor would do that. He's 85 and his spends his life complaining about the world (despite having good health, financial stability, and really, everything you could need at that age). My other neighbor down the street is 92 and sews quilts for the needy, knits hats and scarves for the cold, and crochets teddy bears for poor children. Imagine if more people were more giving. What a great world we would have
#41
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
This should be standard. It would be so encouraging until blood donation becomes a happy habit.
#43
distant_echo 2 weeks ago
My sister took karate with her daughter. My niece dropped out but my sister stayed with it and achieved her black belt.
#45
Doodles1983 2 weeks ago
Memory bear made from a meaningful persons clothes. Our mum passed in 2013. I had bears made like this for all of her kids and grandkids.
#47
Eric G 2 weeks ago (edited)
Which is why it will never be implemented in the US. Government only does something if corporations can profit. This is why we don't have healthcare for all, you pay companies to figure out what you owe the government in taxes and there are for profit private prisons.
#48
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What do you think ?
Cronecast AtTheRisingMoon 2 weeks ago
Thank you Bored Panda, I know some are repeats but they were worth seeing again!
Paul Rabit 2 weeks ago
More like this - less AITA. I know the AITA's can taste better in the moment but these are so much more nutritious.
Hellcaste's Wife 1 week ago
I don't like how I have to pay for a subscription to see everything now.
QueerAxolotls 1 week ago
I would love to see more of these, especially the rest of this article!!! Been here for years, the positive ones like these always make my day better, but it was a bit of a letdown to have the rest be blocked :(
justagirl 2 weeks ago
So? people need this stuff. it's a mental health boost.
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Cronecast AtTheRisingMoon 2 weeks ago
Thank you Bored Panda, I know some are repeats but they were worth seeing again!
Paul Rabit 2 weeks ago
More like this - less AITA. I know the AITA's can taste better in the moment but these are so much more nutritious.
Hellcaste's Wife 1 week ago
I don't like how I have to pay for a subscription to see everything now.
QueerAxolotls 1 week ago
I would love to see more of these, especially the rest of this article!!! Been here for years, the positive ones like these always make my day better, but it was a bit of a letdown to have the rest be blocked :(
justagirl 2 weeks ago
So? people need this stuff. it's a mental health boost.
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