Feeling Anxious? Being Kind Can Change That

Instead of worrying about your anxiety, think about what you can do to help others. Recent research suggests this might work.

“Walking around and offering kindness to others in the world reduces anxiety and increases happiness and feelings of social connection,” Douglas Gentile, Iowa State University professor of psychology. “It’s a simple strategy that doesn’t take a lot of time that you can incorporate into your daily activities.”

Three different methods were tested to see if they could reduce anxiety or increase happiness. The researchers had college students practice the following strategies for 12 minutes in a set environment:

• Loving-kindness: If you look at people and think about them, “I wish for this person to be happy.” Students were encouraged and challenged to think it like they mean it.
• Interconnectedness: The people they see can help us to think about our connections with each other. Students might consider the feelings and hopes they may share, or even take a similar class.
• Comparison of social status: Consider the people you see and consider how they could be better off than those they met.

The Study, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, also included a control group in which researchers instructed students to look at people and focus on what they see on the outside, such as their clothing, the combination of colors, textures, as well as makeup and accessories. To measure anxiety, happiness and stress, empathy and connection, researchers surveyed all participants before and after the walk.

Which Technique is Best?

Researchers compared the results of each technique to the control group. They found that those who showed love-kindness and wished others well felt happier and more connected. The interconnectedness group had more empathy and was more connected. The loving-kindness technique was more effective than the downward social comparison, but it did not show any benefit.

Students who compared their lives to others felt less empathy, compassion, and connected than students who extended good wishes to others. Studies have shown that social comparisons can be a buffer against feeling negative about yourself. Researchers found the reverse.

“At its core, downward social comparison is a competitive strategy,” Dawn Sweet is a senior psychologist and coauthor. “That’s not to say it can’t have some benefit, but competitive mindsets have been linked to stress, anxiety, and depression.”

Researchers also looked at how different people responded to each technique. People who are naturally mindful may benefit more from the loving kindness strategy. However, narcissists might find it difficult to wish for happiness. Somewhat surprising were the results.

“This simple practice is valuable regardless of your personality type,” Lanmiao, a psychology graduate student, is the coauthor. “Extending loving-kindness to others worked equally well to reduce anxiety, increase happiness, empathy, and feelings of social connection.”

Our Versus Them

Social media can be used as a platform for comparing: She makes more than me; he has a better car. Gentile said that while the study didn’t specifically focus on social media, the results showed that comparisons are risky.

“It is almost impossible not to make comparisons on social media,” Gentile.

“Our study didn’t test this, but we often feel envy, jealousy, anger, or disappointment in response to what we see on social media, and those emotions disrupt our sense of well-being.”

Gentile believes that comparisons are useful when learning or making decisions. As children, we learn from watching others and comparing our results to theirs. But, when it comes down to happiness, comparisons are not as effective as loving-kindness. This consistently increases happiness.

This article was originally published in Iowa State University. Republished via Futurity.org

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases