What if showing kindness to others were also a way of showing kindness to yourself? This is what Julianne Holt-Lunstad (BS ’94, MS ’98), BYU professor of psychology and neuroscience, found after creating the Kind Challenge, a month-long study measuring the effects of being kind. The study asked participants to perform at least one act of kindness each week, from sharing cookies to smiling at strangers. Participants reported less loneliness, social anxiety, and isolation compared to participants not assigned to the challenge. “These small interactions can increase our feeling that we belong,” says Holt-Lunstad. “By helping others, you’re in essence helping yourself.”
