KIND CONNECTION

A sense of connection is one of the many rewards of compassion, says our kindness tsar, David Hamilton

CONNECTION IS HEALTHY. In fact, research suggests that one of the strongest predictors of living to older than 100 years is frequent social connection.* In a trial, scientists at the University of Adelaide in Australia investigated how kindness affects the way we connect with others and nature. They compared a group of volunteers practising the loving-kindness meditation – which involves developing compassion for loved ones, colleagues, neighbours and even challenging people – with volunteers doing a mindfulness or relaxation meditation for the same period. They found that the loving-kindness meditation improved the participants’ connection with others and the natural world.

Many of the effects of the kindness meditation are due to how kindness feels in the body, whether as a physical or meditative practice. The positive emotions induced by kindness produce a sense of connectedness and motivate a person’s tendency to reach out and connect.

Join David Hamilton live on Facebook @Psychologiesmagazine for his 30-day kindness challenge, next on 10 November at 1pm. Catch up on Psychologies TV at tinyurl.com/psykind. For more, join the ‘Psychologies’ Life Leap Club, free when you subscribe to the magazine.‘the Little Book Of Kindness’ (Octopus, £6.99) and ‘The Five Side Effects Of Kindness’ (Hay House, £12.99) by David Hamilton are out now