The Fourth Side Effect

4) Kindness Improves Relationships

This is one of the most obvious points. We all know that we like people who show us kindness. This is because kindness reduces the emotional distance between two people, and so we feel more ‘bonded’. It’s something that is so strong in us that it’s actually a genetic thing. We are wired for kindness.

Our evolutionary ancestors had to learn to cooperate with one another. The stronger the emotional bonds within groups, the greater were the chances of survival, and so ‘kindness genes’ were etched into the human genome.

So today, when we are kind to each other, we feel a connection and new relationships are forged, or existing ones strengthened.

This is my fourth posting of sharings from Dr. David R. Hamilton, PhD,'s book , "The Five Side Effects of Kindness", and to recap the first three:

His first point said that doing kindnesses makes us FEEL good, and his second point described how kindness can cause the release of oxytocin and is good for the heart. Thirdly, he stated that compassion affects the vagus nerve, affecting heart rate and inflammation! Now, he tells us that we are wired genetically for kindness — that it was a survival thing for our ancestors!