Just in time for World Kindness Day, coming up on Monday (November 13th), a new survey from the American Psychiatric Association reveals how Americans feel about acts of kindness. Unsurprisingly, most people say that small acts of kindness make them feel better, and that’s true whether they’re on the giving or receiving end.
The poll of 2,210 adults finds:
- Nearly nine in 10 (89%) say doing an act of kindness for someone else makes them feel better and 90% say receiving an act of kindness makes them feel better.
- Over the last three months, 93% say they’ve done something kind, even small acts like saying hi to a stranger (69%), holding a door for someone (68%) and giving someone a compliment (65%).
- Other acts of kindness Americans have done recently include checking in on someone who seemed down (39%), donating goods to a charitable cause (33%) or donating money to one (24%), paying someone else’s tab (17%) and volunteering (11%).
- When someone does an act of kindness for them, people feel happy (56%) and grateful (51%).
- The places people are most likely to see acts of kindness are the grocery store (44%), places of worship (25%) at home (25%) and in the neighborhood (25%), while the least likely locations are the gym (6%) and schools (9%).
- This holiday season, Americans are most grateful for their family (70%), their partner (33%) and their physical health (31%).
Source: American Psychiatric Association