The Keys to Kindness

February 20, 2023
Hammond (The Art of Rest), host of BBC Radio’s All in the Mind, offers a glass-half-full approach to kindness in this enlightening entry. Humans are collectively “kinder than we might think,” she maintains, but everyone can still strive to be more compassionate. Hammond debunks myths about kindness, for instance that the very young lack it—citing experiments in which toddlers help peers complete a task with no benefit to themselves (an especially noteworthy finding, as their brains don’t yet comprehend reciprocity). She also contends that compassionate acts don’t need to involve self-martyrdom, and that kindness confers profound emotional benefits to all involved in the interaction. Hammond’s advice for being kinder includes “truly listening” in conversations, practicing “perspective-taking” (arguing oneself into a different person’s position), and even reading fiction. Self-compassion is also vital, she maintains, as people who are kind to themselves lead more satisfying lives. Hammond strikes a good balance between optimism and a practical awareness of the challenges (for example, social media) to creating a kinder 21st-century society. Even cynics will emerge a little more hopeful.