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Dr. Gillis gets personal on acts of kindness, family

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Whether it’s big gesture, a small one or somewhere in between, lending a helping hand can make a person happier and healthier. But acts of kindness also have another interesting benefit: Doing good deeds helps to reduce stress.

In a study published in “Clinical Psychological Science,” researchers assessed 77 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 44. All participants in the study were asked to complete a questionnaire each night for 14 days. The questionnaire was designed to help them recount any stressful events that happened that day. Scientists divided stressful events into seven categories: interpersonal, work, education, home, finance, health and accidents. The total number of events that occurred in each subcategory was the index measure for stress.

At the same time, participants were also asked if they engaged in any good deeds the same day — whether it was a kind gesture, such as opening the door for someone or just asking someone if they needed help. In addition to the stress questionnaire, participants completed a survey measuring emotions and mental health each night. The questionnaire ranged from 0 — meaning poor — to 100 –meaning excellent.

Results showed that helping others was linked to a better mood, more positive daily emotions, reduced stress and overall better psychological well-being.

“Our research shows that when we help others we can also help ourselves,” study author, Dr. Emily Ansell of the Yale University School of Medicine, said in a news release. “Stressful days usually lead us to have a worse mood and poorer mental health, but our findings suggest that if we do small things for others … we won’t feel as poorly on stressful days.”