Sprinkle Kindness: The Story Behind the Movement
February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day. February 15–20 is Random Acts of Kindness Week and all of February has been designated as Random Acts of Kindness Month. Where did this all begin?
The Kindness Movement began in the San Francisco Bay area in 1982. Berkeley writer and activist Anne Herbert published an article in the CoEvolution Quarterly called “Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Acts of Senseless Beauty.” After the article appeared, people started sharing Random Acts of Kindness with each other in the local Bay area.
The Kindness Movement was born.
Fast forward to 1991. A historical accounting states that a local Bay area woman noticed the phrase “Random Acts of Kindness” scrawled across a wall in her neighborhood. She was moved by the phrase and shared it with her husband, a 7th grade teacher, who shared it with his students. One of the students shared it with her father, a columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle. He wrote an article that was picked up by Reader’s Digest and later reprinted by the editors of Conari Press, a small press in Berkeley, California. Conari Press published a book entitled Random Acts of Kindness in February 1993.
This propelled the movement to a national level.
In 1995, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK) was created. The first National Random Acts of Kindness Day took place In February of the same year. The Foundation, a small nonprofit organization, provides resources to promote kindness in all areas. RAK has developed an evidence-based Kindness in the Classroom® curriculum that teaches students social and emotional skills needed to live kinder lives. They also offer workplace resources to help companies create a kinder workplace culture.
Why does kindness matter?
Life comes with challenges. And sometimes these challenges can feel overwhelming. The simplest act of kindness can make a person’s day brighter. Being the recipient of a random act of kindness may help also someone through a very challenging time. And kindness is something we can all easily share.
The benefit of shared kindness goes beyond the gift to the recipient. When we offer an act of kindness to another, it impacts the givers’ health and well-being as well. Psychological studies have shown that“ Performing an act of kindness stimulates the reward center in our brain.” Even the simplest acts of kindness boost happiness. If you help a neighbor carry their groceries, check in on a friend, or donate to a cause, you get a satisfying, emotional glow. That’s a physiological response.
A study written up by the American Psychological Association 2019 states that “The brain’s reward circuitry lights up, releasing a potent trio of neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. This is called the “Happiness Trifecta.” Researchers refer to the phenomenon the “Helper’s High, a measurable brain state associated with positive emotions, reduced stress, and even pain relief.” A random act of kindness can be as simple as offering a genuine smile and warm greeting, a kind word, a compliment or a simple question that shows you care. Performing even the simplest act can boost happiness, nourish a relationship, promote personal well-being, and create community. Shared moments of connection like these can help create a kinder society.
You can join the Kindness Movement and help promote the kinder society by making kindness part of your day every day. Every act of kindness has a story. Share your story. It may inspire others to join the movement.Random acts of kindness help make everyone’s day a little brighter and the exchange will leave both of you feeling happier, healthier, and more connected. Join the movement and help to create a world filled with kindness.
A world filled with kindness reflects humanity at its best.
