The latest World Happiness Report was released last spring, and once again the Nordic countries came out on top: Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and the Netherlands were the top five happiest countries. My daughter—a college junior—spent last fall studying in Copenhagen, and I can definitely report that this experience made her very happy!The United States ranked 24th—a drop from 23rd in 2023 (and of course it will be fascinating to see the results from the 2025 report).
But what I found particularly interesting about this year’s report is that the researchers also ranked countries’ levels of kindness and generosity, including how much money people donated to charity, how frequently people volunteered in their communities, and whether they had helped a stranger in the last month.
As you might predict, countries with higher levels of kindness are also higher in happiness, suggesting that giving is good for wellbeing.
These findings about the link between kindness and happiness are of course correlational, so we can’t actually tell whether giving makes people happy, happy people give, or a third variable (wealth? health? religion?) explains this kindness-happiness link.
But empirical research clearly demonstrates that kindness feels good—not just for the recipient but also for the giver. In fact, people who perform a random act of kindness every day for ten days report significant boosts in happiness.
And what’s perhaps even more important about these findings is that kindness is contagious, meaning that a single act of kindness prompts other acts of kindness—and presumably happiness.
In one of the first research studies to illustrate how kindness spreads in a community, researchers brought in college students to participate in a game in which they could either keep money they earned or give some of their winnings to other group members. They then measured how other group members responded when a single person chose to share some of their own winnings to help others.
Their findings were—in a word—remarkable.
A single person choosing to give created an immediate ripple effect, prompting three other group members to also choose to give away some of their winnings.
When these group members entered new groups—in subsequent rounds of the game—they were also more likely to share some of their winnings with other group members, which again, prompted even more giving by members of this new group.
In sum, a single person choosing to give some of their money to a stranger created greater kindness throughout the community, providing substantial evidence that kindness is indeed contagious.
So, here’s my takeaway from this research—and the latest World Happiness Report; even small acts of kindness feel good to us—and to others—and help create greater kindness in the world. As English theologian Frederick William Faber famously said, “The single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”
Now a question for you: What’s the last time you were kind to someone else? And how did it make you feel? Please share in the comments on social media!
Interested in bringing more kindness, wellness, mental and emotional health, and social health resources into your school? Catherine Sanderson, author of this blog, is also the author of G-W’s Health Skills for Middle School and Health Skills for High School, which provide health education knowledge and strategies that can contribute to a lifetime of wellness. Free Previews are available! Contact your local G-W Educational Consultant for more information.
Photo Credits:
Thumbnail: Getty Images
Image 1: Catherine Sanderson
