Telling someone you appreciate them or even opening the door for them can do wonders for your health

By Annie Spratt/Unsplash

Checking up on someone, opening the door for the person behind you or buying a gift for a friend—these will do wonders for your health and well-being, a study published by Psychological Bulletin claims. 

Attributes like cooperation, trust, compassion and altruism tend to feel less of an obligation so it sparks some sort of spontaneous kindness in you. According to the same study, when you do something nice or serve others, chances are you will feel a deeper sense of meaning, which makes you feel good about yourself. This then spills over to how you approach your physical and mental health. 

The researchers backed their claim by looking into a meta-analysis of 201 studies on prosocial behavior and how it affects your overall quality of life. They found that there is a link between random acts of kindness and your overall well-being merely because making others happy affects your overall mood and behavior. 

So if you want an extra boost to your health, it’s simple—do something nice and be kind to others. Not only will it go a long way for the receiver, it will also have a positive effect on your mental and physical health. As lead study author Bryant Hui, Ph.D. says, “We want to advocate for prosocial behavior, which, we strongly believe, is a universal virtue, and part of the shared culture of humankind.”