Not so random acts: Science finds that being kind pays off

[Jim__]

Good news! From MedicalXpress:

...

Research shows that acts of kindness make us feel better and healthier. Kindness is also key to how we evolved and survived as a species, scientists say. We are hard-wired to be kind.

Kindness "is as bred in our bones as our anger or our lust or our grief or as our desire for revenge," said University of California San Diego psychologist Michael McCullough, author of the forthcoming book "Kindness of Strangers." It's also, he said, "the main feature we take for granted."

...

"Kindness is much older than religion. It does seem to be universal," said University of Oxford anthropologist Oliver Curry, research director at Kindlab. "The basic reason why people are kind is that we are social animals."

We prize kindness over any other value. When psychologists lumped values into ten categories and asked people what was more important, benevolence or kindness, comes out on top, beating hedonism, having an exciting life, creativity, ambition, tradition, security, obedience, seeking social justice and seeking power, said University of London psychologist Anat Bardi, who studies value systems.

more ...

[fleur-de-lisa]

1. I would like to dedicate this to all the fake x-tians who believe that

humans are inherent assholes who only behave because they fear the wrath of their magic sky daddy and his eternal damnation.

[BComplex]

3. ....

Well said!

[Igel]

7. Look around.

Kindness is universal. Mothers always care for their children, as do fathers. Employers are kind to their employees, who are kind to their employees. People in public are always kind and gentle.

The transition would have happened quite a while back as populations increased and social groups extended beyond kin groups. Wouldn't have happened everywhere at once or even the exact same way to the same extent. (Why would it have? There is no evolutionary "spooky action at a distance".)

Even denying the obvious to take a jab at people not in the conversation fits in here.

[stopdiggin]

2. thanks

this is absolutely fundamental to who we are. As the article says -- we evolved this way, and it is part of the reason that we evolved. Please (try) to communicate this to the Ayn Rand fans. Thanks.

Oh, and while we're at it -- shout out to the "prayer in school" zealots -- contrary to your beliefs, we had kindness and compassion before we had religion, or the Golden Rule.

[Midnight Writer]

4. I like helping people. It makes me feel good.

Doing the right thing usually pays dividends. Usually.

[LakeArenal]

5. I had an employer ask: How can you have a moral compass if you don't believe in Jebus.

I told them Jesus didn’t invent right and wrong. 🙄

[CatLady78]

6. recd

But we really do need to do it for reasons unconnected with being social animals as well...

[Igel]

8. The claim is that it's all survival.

Our skeletons were gracilized as violence that thicker, larger skeletons would have made easier had to taper off to allow groups to not be like chimps, wedded to territorial violence much more than humans. (We like claiming that bonobos are our models. Not likely, but if it strokes the ego it's okay because it's not actionable.)

Lots of other changes were needed along the way, but domesticating each other was important. And requires that communities make sure that the "bad boys" and "bad girls" that further unkindness and violence don't expand the range of their genes. Otherwise, evolution drives the other way.

[CatLady78]

9. ...

Interesting points. But as society becomes more complex (and dangerous), we might need to evolve more complicated evolutionary strategies to survive and fast.

[Jim__]

10. I doubt we can do it for reasons unconnected with being social animals.

We may be able to learn, through consciousness and culture, just how important kindness is for the survival of our species. My guess is that this kindness at first extended only to our in-group. Now, we do recognize the benefits of extending kindness to people from other groups. Hopefully we can continue to move in the direction of more understanding and more generosity toward everyone.