With holidays in full swing, Regis professor discusses scientific benefits of kindness

From donating toys to volunteering with local nonprofits, there’s no shortage of ways to contribute small acts of kindness this holiday season. But did you know kindness has been known to lower blood pressure, increase productivity and improve moods?  

It’s a message Regis School of Pharmacy professor Dan Berlau, Ph.D., has been spreading during a presentation to local community groups. His presentation, “Building a Better World: The Scientific Benefits of Kindness,” brings to light not only the benefits of kindness to the person receiving it but also to the person giving kindness.

“It doesn't take much, just the tiny little bits of kindness: sharing something or donating something to Goodwill or to the Arc — all of those little things add up to making us happier people,” Berlau said.

Berlau, who has given the presentation to local groups including the Colorado Pharmacists Society, often highlights a study that looked into the impacts of kindness on heart health.

The study, published in Health Psychology, researchers gathered seniors who have high blood pressure and asked them to continue taking their medication but focused on one change: Seniors were given $40 to spend for three consecutive weeks. Some were asked to spend money on others; other seniors were asked to spend money on themselves.

Then, the researchers checked the participants’ blood pressure. 

“They checked people's blood pressure, and the people that did what's called the ‘pro social spending’ — giving the money away — had significantly lower blood pressure,” Berlau said. “And so, it just goes to show that being able to exhibit kindness is, in this case at least, helps people live healthier lives, which I thought was super cool.” 

Another study published in Games and Economic Behavior looked at the productivity benefits of sharing bonuses. The researchers found that workers in a tree-planting company who received bonuses for their work were more productive immediately after receiving it than they were on previous and subsequent days. 

For Berlau, the research suggests that kindness can transform our outlook. 

“We really connect with kindness as humans, and so the ability to just show kindness makes a big difference,” Berlau said.

However, Berlau said, people don’t always do a good job of predicting how much of a difference kindness can make. 

In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, researchers asked commuters on a train to “connect with a stranger near them, to remain disconnected, or to commute as normal.” Those who were asked to engage with others weren’t exactly looking forward to it. The result? The commuters who connected with a stranger reported a more positive experience than those who were disconnected from others. 

“The act of kindness in the study is just talking to somebody,” Berlau said. “In general, people are so worried that they're if they talk to somebody, it's not going to go well, and it almost always goes pretty well, which I thought was kind of cool.” 

With this information in hand, Berlau said he likes to remember how kindness made him feel so that its benefits will continue. 

“I try to really reflect on how good that made me feel, because I think you're more likely to do it if you remember how good you felt,” he said.