Kindness catches on and changes lives

Through a variety of initiatives and projects, Ohio State is spreading the spirit of kindness across campus and throughout communities.

Studies show that simple acts of kindness are a powerful prescription for both personal and public health. Thanks to philanthropy, those acts are multiplying at The Ohio State University and beyond, as donor-driven research and student-led initiatives are converging to create a culture of connection and care.

“When people are being kind, that’s when they are most connected to their communities and other people in their lives,” says Jennifer Cheavens, PhD, professor of clinical psychology at Ohio State. Her research explores how kindness can foster social connection and improve mental health.

“When we first started using kindness as an intervention for people with elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety, I thought we can’t possibly ask people who are suffering to do more for others,” she says. “But the data — ours and others — suggest that not only can we ask people who are depressed or anxious to do kind things for others, but it might help them.”

With generous funding from the Walter Foundation, in collaboration with The Columbus Foundation’s Center for HumanKindness, Cheavens’ team is exploring the cascading effects of kindness and its real-world applications. One study involved 310 random participants in Greater Columbus. Over five weeks, they engaged in acts of kindness — either toward strangers or friends — and were surveyed throughout the process.

November 13 is World Kindness Day

But the study didn’t stop there. Each participant had to nominate three people in their social network, who were also surveyed. While the numbers are still out, Hana Nip, a research technician on Cheavens’ team, is optimistic about what the results will reveal.

“On average, we’ve had about 1.5 people respond per participant. That’s already a good sign," Nip says. "It shows that people are curious about and engaging with acts of kindness, which might signal that people who are recipients of kindness will go on to do more acts of kindness themselves."

Even without extensive metrics, the impact is clear, with stories of brightened days, renewed hope and meaningful connections.