The Internet could use some kindness, don’t you think? We’re constantly bombarded by bad news and our own real-life struggles, so a pick-me-up can’t hurt now and again. We could use some kindness in real life, too. As a famous CGI movie bear once said, “It doesn’t cost me anything to be kind.”
This Facebook group lives by a similar motto: “Kind Humour is international and at no one’s expense.” It’s the perfect place for your daily dose of wholesome, and we’ve got some memes and funny pics from the group to prove it. If you like what you see here, be sure to check out their group, where they do interactive memes, pun challenges, puzzles, and discussions!
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Kindness is a thing many of us could use nowadays. The period we’re living in is probably the worst in terms of ourmental health. 77% of professionals in the U.S.saythey feel burnt out at work. Depression rates keep getting higher each year, too. According to aGallup survey, 29% of Americans are living with lifetime depression. In 2015, that number was only 19%.
The problem is many people are still embarrassed or afraid to talk about the issues they face. According toMcLean Hospital, people “believe they are unworthy or should be able to control their symptoms through willpower.” That’s where kindness comes in — kindness to understand each other and help each other when the going gets tough.
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Why exactly do we need kindness, you ask? Well, when someone’s nice or sweet to us, it has a physical effect. Kind actsdecreaseour blood pressure and the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. It also has an impact on our mental health. Kindness boosts our levels of serotonin and dopamine.
When we show kindness, our brain may also release endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller, and they increase feelings of well-being. Kind acts also help us feel lesslonelyand more connected to others. It may even be contagious, as we might be encouraged to do good, kind acts in return.
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A veteran emergency physician and the author ofThe Power of Kindness: Why Empathy Is Essential in Everyday Life, Dr. Brian Goldman, posits that the current world, especially the digital space, is brimming with unkindness. “I think we are getting addicted to speed, being right, fast transactions, not tuning into others,” hetold Chatelaine.
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“[We’re] criticizing or mocking people who are slower, people who talk slower or take longer to formulate their thoughts,” Dr. Goldmansays. “It’s as if quick wit is the only prized possession and the only prized attribute for social interactions. You see so often, the quick put-downs on Twitter that slay a person and embarrass them.”
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This need to always dunk on somebody and have awitty comebackpresupposes that kindness is a weakness. Being earnest often gets conflated with being cheesy or cringy. Irony and sarcasm are the rulers of the Internet, aren’t they? So why, if kindness is so good for us, do we run away from it so much?
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As Charlotte Armitage, a media and business psychologist,explained to Stylist, it’s because in order to show kindness, we have to be vulnerable. “Those who go out of their way to help another are seen as weak because it appears as though they are putting the needs of someone else before their own needs,” she explained.
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For other people, kindness is also not cool. According to clinical psychologistBarbara Greenberg, parents nowadays raise ‘strong’ children instead of empathetic kids. “In many households that is synonymous with taking care of yourself, with little emphasis on the feelings of others.” She says that people perceive bad and mean characters on television as ‘cool and strong.’
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However, experts say that it’s quite the opposite. Those who are able to show kindness can show vulnerability and don’t have to hide behind barriers ofsarcasmand irony. In short, they feel secure in the way they are as a person.
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“To truly offer kindness shows a level of psychological strength and resilience which is grounded in acceptance of oneself. This level of acceptance requires a significant amount of internal strength and takes hard work to achieve,” Armitageexplainedto Stylist.
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So, let’s all take a page out of theKind Humourgroup and be kinder to each other. Laugh, but at nobody’s expense. Enjoy conversations, but don’t complain, explain (only if someone asks), correct others, swear, or overshare. That’s all in their bio, so if you find this list compelling, be sure to check them out on Facebook!
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