A new treatment for depression and anxiety can’t be found in a medicine bottle, according to scientists from The Ohio State University. Their recommendation? Kindness.
The researchers noted that performing good deeds for others may be just what the doctor ordered — in fact, it boasted improvements in mental health that other commonly used therapies couldn’t match.
Study co-author David Cregg noted in a university release that the social connection that usually comes with doing things for others is the key. “Social connection is one of the ingredients of life most strongly associated with well-being. Performing acts of kindness seems to be one of the best ways to promote those connections.”
According to the study that was published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, “acts of kindness” were defined as “big or small acts that benefit others or make others happy, typically at some cost to you in terms of time or resources.”
These could be as simple as leaving an encouraging note for someone, baking cookies for friends or even giving someone a lift.
Study researcher Jennifer Cheavens, a professor at Ohio State, noted, “We often think that people with depression have enough to deal with, so we don’t want to burden them by asking them to help others. But these results run counter to that.”
Doing good deeds helps distract you from your own negative thoughts and can boost your self-esteem, to boot. Cheavens says, “Doing nice things for people and focusing on the needs of others may actually help people with depression and anxiety feel better about themselves.”