The Mood Multipliers
8 small gestures that lift you, and others; besides kindness keeps you young!
There’s a particular kind of magic in doing something small and thoughtful for someone else. Imagine a gesture so simple it barely registers as effort, yet so meaningful it brightens a day. These are what I like to call mood multipliers: acts that boost the mood of the person doing them and the person receiving them.
The thing is, these tiny acts aren’t just nice—they’re neurologically rewarding. Researchers at the University of the South in Tennessee discovered that people who perform such specific acts of kindness were more likely to experience an improvement in their mood and to feel happier than people who tried to ‘cheer themselves up’ by treating themselves to, say, a spot of retail therapy.
A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” Amelia Earhart
In addition, according to the Mental Health Foundation, “Acts of kindness have the potential to make the world s happier place. It may also encourage others to repeat the good deed that they’ve experienced themselves, contributing to a more positive community.”
Got the Sunday Blues?
If we approach it with purpose, Sunday night can become a place of sanctuary. Whether you use it to prep for the week ahead, to kick back on the sofa, or just like any other weekday evening, what you choose to do, or not, in these hours is important. Unfortunately, for many, it's haunted by the shadow of the week ahead.
But why do such little actions work so reliably? And how can we sprinkle more of them into our everyday lives? And which are the most effective things to do!
PS Fast fact: Most young people say experiencing more kindness would improve their mental wellness — be it from others (73%), themselves (74%), or observed in the world around them (71%). Data from the Born this Way Foundation.