Is kindness really contagious? (Positive Psychology) Let's talk about this!

Have you ever seen someone help another person without expecting anything in return? Maybe it was giving a meal to a homeless person on the street, or helping an elderly person cross the road. At that moment, did you feel a strange joy, a warmth in your heart? Like a good feeling coming from deep inside your chest... Not only you, many people have had such experiences. Is this just a feeling, or is it something deeper? We are talking about this wonderful feeling today.

Is there a name for this amazing feeling?

Yes, there is a name for this. In psychology, it is called 'Elevation' . Simply put, it is a feeling of nobility or superiority. The first person to talk in depth about this concept was a psychologist named Dr. Jonathan Haidt. He first thought of this when he heard the speech of Nelson Mandela of South Africa after being released from prison after many years. Imagine, he said that instead of hating those who had imprisoned him his whole life, he forgave them all and stood up together as a country. At that moment, this feeling that Jonathan Haidt felt was called 'Elevation'. He felt like his body was tingling, like a wonderful warm feeling was rising inside his chest. He realized that this was not just a feeling, this was something worth studying scientifically.

What is Positive Psychology?

The concept of 'Elevation' belongs to a new branch of psychology called Positive Psychology . Now you may be wondering, "What is positive psychology?" Simply put, psychology has focused on people's mental illnesses, problems, and weaknesses (e.g., depression , anxiety , trauma). That is, what is wrong with a person. But positive psychology does the opposite. That is, it looks at what is good and what is strong in people . For example, it studies things like happiness, kindness, forgiveness, optimism, and the meaning of life. This is not to say that it is wrong to look at mental illnesses . But that alone is not enough. Like the other side of the coin, it also says that we need to know what makes a person mentally healthy and happy. Another psychologist, Christopher Peterson, asks, " Stress"And if we know so much about trauma, why don't we know so much about the things that make life worth living?" That's a really thought-provoking question, isn't it?

Can the feeling of 'elevation' be scientifically proven?

Dr. Haidt has conducted several studies on this feeling of 'Elevation'. In one study, he asked university students to write about a time when they had witnessed a noble quality in a person. For comparison, another group was asked to write about the general happiness they felt after achieving a goal. In another study, he showed three groups 10-minute videos. 1. Group 1: Mother Teresa's life story (an elevation-inducing video). 2. Group 2: A comedy video (an uplifting video). 3. Group 3: A regular news program. The results of both studies were quite surprising. The people who experienced 'Elevation' reported different things than those who experienced normal happiness. But there are challenges in studying this. For example, while emotions like sadness and happiness have specific facial expressions, there is no such clear expression for 'Elevation'. But scientists believe that this emotion stimulates our body's 'Vagus Nerve' . This nerve affects our heart rate. Therefore, they think that in the future, it will be possible to measure this emotion by measuring heart rate.

How do we teach this knowledge to our children?

Okay, this is all good. But how do we as parents incorporate this knowledge into our children's lives? This is the most important thing. 1. Talk about good things: It is very important to talk to children about good qualities and noble characters. Telling stories about heroes from history and good characters from religious stories instills a desire for good things in children. 2. Be an example yourself: Rather than preaching to children to "be good, be kind," it is worth a thousand times more to show them by doing those things ourselves . When we see others being kind, children automatically learn the same thing. 3. School programs: In America, there is a school program called "Kindness Is Contagious: Catch It." There are two very nice activities that are done in it.

• Two-bottle activity: Give the children two bottles. In one bottle, they are to put a bean for every time someone has done something bad (scorned or hurt) to them. In the other bottle, they are to put a bean for every time someone has done something good (put-up) to them. At the end of the month, by looking at the two bottles, the children can see for themselves whether more good or bad things are happening in the class. The goal is to empty the bottle with the bad things and fill the bottle with the good things.

• "Pass It On" activity: The teacher waits for a child in the class to do something good or kind. When the teacher sees a child do something good, the teacher gives the child an object (e.g., a red apple) and says, "You are now a witness. When you see another child do something good, give him this apple ." This teaches the child to do good things and to see good things in others.

If you have any concerns about your child's behavior or mental health, it is very important to talk to your doctor or a qualified psychologist about it. Kindness, Positive Psychology, Kindness, Mental Health, Parenting, Emotions, Compassion, Positive Psychology, Kindness, Mental Health, Parenting