What if kindness, beyond bringing smiles around us, could also influence our own genes and make us healthier? This is what Californian researchers think.
November 3 is Kindness Day. But why limit yourself to one day in the year when these little daily attentions can change the lives of the people around you, but also yours?
Can our genes be influenced by our behavior?
YLD: In recent years, research has noticed that, like our environment, our behaviors can influence the way some of our genes are expressed. For example, negative social experiences (pressure, stress, exclusion) directly influence the expression of some of our genes, involved in our immune defenses and the inflammatory state of our organism. When we are faced with these situations for a long time, these genes grouped under the term CTRA for “Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity” will activate and secrete pro-inflammatory molecules, or reduce our defense against viruses and bacteria.
Are there any known health benefits of kindness?
YLD: According to scientists, there are several. Kindness, or volunteering, would lead to healthier and longer lives. For example, we speak of a reduction in cardiovascular risk or an impact on weight and diabetes.
The main hypothesis to explain these effects is a neurobiological mechanism. Indeed, social behavior is closely linked to the activation of certain areas of our brain and our nervous system, and to the regulation of certain hormones such as oxytocin and progesterone.
What does this new study show?
YLD: This study tested the impact of kindness on over a hundred people. The participants were divided into 4 groups: kindness to people, kindness to the world in general, kindness to oneself, or usual behavior. The results show that kindness to people decreases the expression of the CTRA genes we were talking about earlier. As a result, our body will secrete less inflammatory molecules, and strengthen our immune system against viruses or bacteria. Small daily actions can, according to this study, easily improve our health while making the people around us smile.
“Kindness is the language a deaf person can hear and a blind person can see.” Mark Twain
.
