KINDNESS: Let’s Make It More
Contagious Than COVID By Erin Pittman, Editor in Chief
I
n my writing career, I’ve been taught to put a positive slant on things whenever you can, and I’m usually successful, as I tend to look on the bright side of most things anyway. But 2020, and its remnants that have spilled over into 2021, continue to challenge me. It’s pretty tough to put a positive slant on a pandemic. Sure, there have been some lovely silver linings — more time at home with family, appreciation for what we have, even greater gratitude for our medical professionals and first responders, and so on. But none of it balances out the suffering and loss we have faced in the past year and continue to see. The only thing I find that begins to bring some balance to today’s world is kindness. No, kindness can’t eradicate COVID-
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February 2021 prince william living
19 and it can’t recreate jobs lost, but it can soothe emotions and bring about moments of happiness in a tough time.
The Effects of Kindness There have been numerous studies about the positive effects of kindness on those performing the acts. Participants in several studies reported greater happiness when spending money on others than on themselves, for example. According to a publication out of Dartmouth University, “Witnessing acts of kindness produces oxytocin, occasionally referred to as the ‘love hormone’ which aids in lowering blood pressure and improving our overall heart-health. Oxytocin also increases our self-esteem
