Where does kindness come from?
09 June 2011
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Where does kindness come from?
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How can we cultivate kindness?
John Healy, Managing Director of Kind Citizen has some interesting insight on these very questions.
Wouldn’t it be useful to have these answers to help us plan ahead?
It turns out that the answer to question 1 is linked to an area of the brain called the “posterior superior temporal sulcus” -- Doctors never make it easy do they!
in 2007, researchers at Duke University Medical Centre asked participants how often they engaged in different helping behaviours. They then compared the participants' brain scans (MRI) with their recorded level of altruistic behaviour.
The results of the scans showed that increased activity in the posterior superior temporal sulcus (PSTS) strongly predicted a person's likelihood for altruistic behaviour.
It’s not all about the size of your PSTS!
But wait, the real insight about where kindness comes from is buried further in their report: "We believe that the ability to perceive other people's actions as meaningful is critical for altruism," said the lead researcher.
But our ability to interpret people’s behaviour is a learned skill. So it stands to reason we should be inculcating altruistic values in our children.
Conclusion:
My recommendation to our fundraisers is this: the next time you organise an event, ensure it’s a family activity. This way you’ll be cultivating the next generation of kind citizens. Which in turn, is the answer to question 2!
John Healy is the Managing Director of KindCitizen, a new media platform to activate online newsreaders to support social causes. He will be presenting the Best Event Award in the Irish Fundraising Awards, on June 16th.
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