Elijah Cummings

What can You do Kindness For You ? They give off a warm glow, perhaps, or a feeling of well-being? While that may be true, scientists at the new research center to say, it can do much More - it can extend your life.

the staff at the UCLA-Bedari quality Institute are ready for the jokes.

"We look at the scientific point of view. We are not sitting around in a circle, Holding Hands . We talk about the psychology, the biology, of positive social interactions," says Daniel Fessler , The Institute 's first Director.

The idea of goodness has made headlines recently.

It was an important part of the former President Barack Obama , the laudation of the U.S. veteran Democrat Elijah Cummings , after his death last month.

"a strong man is to Be Kind . There is nothing weak, Kindness , and compassion," he said. "There is nothing weak to look for others. You 're not a moron, integrity and treat others with Respect . "

And Then Ellen Degeneres , there was a call for goodness, if the talk I say about them for some surprising friendship with George W Bush: "If, 'be nice to others," I mean not only the people who think the same way You do. I mean, be nice to all. It doesn't matter. '"

in the run-up to World Kindness Day This Week , what it actually means to Be Kind - and why is it important?

This is what want to study The Experts . And they are deadly serious. After All , it might be a matter of life and death, they say.

Mr. Fessler has examined the work, how people can be motivated to be friendly, simply through witnessing acts of Kindness and find out who is affected by this "contagious Kindness ".

"I think it is fair to say, we live in an unfriendly age now," he says. "Both domestically in the United States and around The World , what we see is More and More conflicts between individuals and different political views, or of their belonging to different religions. "

Kindness , he says, is "The Thoughts , feelings, and beliefs in connection with actions that intend to use other, where the benefit to others is an end in itself, not a means to an end".

And unkindness, on The Other hand, beliefs are "intolerant, the lack of evaluation of other "animal protection".

It is the experienced trolling on Social Media is something that everyone knows.

While The Practice is "Nothing New ," Mr Fessler says "people are More likely to be aggressive, less likely, the value of The Other , the concerns and well-being, the More anonymous You are".

The Institute was founded, thanks to a $20 (£16m) Grant from the Bedari Foundation by the founder, Jennifer and Matthew Harris.

based in the UCLA-social sciences Department, it is intended to help both members of The Public , and to inspire leaders.

Mr Harris said the research was needed" in order to understand why Kindness can be so scarce in this modern world" and "bridging the gap between science and spirituality".

Some of the projects at The Institute :

the students with mindfulness training, and those in underserved Los Angeles communities, It is also.

Mr Fessler says that it is known that bad Stress - the Kind where You do nothing, the climb of a difficult situation, in contrast to the "good" Stress , challenging, But satisfying activities, such as - is bad For You .

"living with people who treat them, at best with indifference, or a lack of interest, and in the worst case, with open hostility, is bad For You . It shortens your life, quite literally," he says.

"Vice versa, both receiving Kindness from others, and the provision of quality, these two things are the anti-thesis to this toxic stressful situation. And they are good For You . "

Even seemingly trivial inter to smile as a barista in a Coffee Shop and ask how You are, actions can improve the well-being of the people.

"consider Yourself in Kindness as You can Be Kind to others, lowers the blood pressure. It has therapeutic benefits," he says. "There are conditions benefits for the treatment of depression and anxiety. "

Columbia University doctor Kelli Harding, it was examined the phenomenon in her recent book, The hare effect.

she says: "It helps the immune system, the blood pressure, it helps people to a longer and better life. It's pretty amazing, because there is a plentiful supply, and You can't overdose on it. There is a free delivery. It it is correct. "

Explains the title of the book, she says: "I Heard about this study, rabbit, back in the 1970s. A set of better results, and You wanted to find out what was going on. As it turned out, the rabbit goes better, were under the care of a really friendly researchers.

"As a physician, I was shocked absolutely. It felt like it was an urgent Message . "

Kindness , she says, can "turn a lot and help people navigate the things in their world".

It is often easier to Be Kind to others than to ourselves, You .

"There are so many opportunities for the promotion of Kindness to ourselves and to others. To lead in the workplace, in school and at home, compassionate, better results," she says. "In medicine, the technology will always be better, But You never know. the goodness of a supportive reference person replicate The Connection between Mental Health and physical health is so important. "

By the friendliness expert Gabriella Van Rij

Darnell Hunt, Dean of the UCLA social sciences division, said he wanted The Institute to a cure "in the center of the current world of politics, violence, and armed" that is "rooted in serious scientific work".

"I think we live in a time where it will cause a direct need to step back and explore the things that make us human and have the potential to to to More humane societies," he says. "We live in a time of political polarization in the United States and elsewhere, with increasing urbanization leads to less direct interaction between people. "

If people see the Kind of acts, they are inspired to replicate those actions, he says - But we are still trying to understand the mechanisms of friendliness.

"It's not a case of us here in an Ivory Tower . We want to translate research on how people in The Real world can use this to create policies and make a Difference . "

This "historical moment is The Right time to do this," he says.

"We are in one of The Most diverse States in a diverse country. A lot of problems in LA-echo problems elsewhere in The World . If You can solve it, we can see what can be done to The World . "

Source of news: bbc.com