--- title: 10 Ways a Little Kindness Can Change Your Life description: Compassion increases creativity canonical: https://time.com/3932597/kindness-life-changing/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-29T04:01:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:32.737Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 10 Ways a Little Kindness Can Change Your Life og:description: Compassion increases creativity og:url: https://time.com/3932597/kindness-life-changing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc82e6046b66a81fb/698858072dce0129e59e4545/185093831-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=507&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 507 og:image:height: 285 og:image:alt: hands-holding og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 10 Ways a Little Kindness Can Change Your Life twitter:description: Compassion increases creativity twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc82e6046b66a81fb/698858072dce0129e59e4545/185093831-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=507&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 10 Ways a Little Kindness Can Change Your Life > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on the Power of Asking for Help [Watch (HLS stream): Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on the Power of Asking for Help](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fy92SP8r.m3u8) (3:06)  _Published 2015-04-16. “Somebody described Airbnb as the worst idea that ever worked,” says Chesky, the founder and CEO of Airbnb._ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jun 29, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  old and young hands togetherness care old and young hands togetherness care Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jun 29, 2015 4:01 AM UTC * People [are more helpful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-people-more-or-less-helpful-than-you-thin) than you think. Expecting others to be selfish [can be a self-fulfilling prophecy](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-expecting-others-to-be-selfish-a-self-fulf). How to be kind without getting taken advantage of? [Tit-for-tat](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-tit-for-tat-the-best-way-to-deal-with-peop) beat out all the other strategies. Too much trust is [better than not enough](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-much-should-we-trust-others-what-are-the). Trust people who are [expressive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-know-who-to-trust). * People are nicer [where the pace of life is slower](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-people-nicer-where-the-pace-of-life-is-sl). [These](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/best-places-in-the-us-to-lose-your-wallet-gal?) are the best places to lose your wallet and these are [the friendliest countries](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-the-friendliest-countries). * More often than not [you can trust your gut](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-you-trust-your-gut-to-tell-you-who-is) to tell you who is a good person. In the workplace it seems [kindness is less optional for men than women](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-kindness-less-optional-for-women-than-for). Nice doctors [heal you faster](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/nice-doctors-heal-you-faster-scientific-ameri). The lower class is more [helpful, trusting, charitable, and generous](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-those-who-have-less-give-more). On the other hand, it was the rich countries and the rich households that [rescued Jews from the Nazis](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-higher-income-make-you-more-altruistic). * Lack of sleep can [make you unethical](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-lack-of-sleep-make-us-unethical) and when faced with moral dilemmas [we usually do what is easy, not necessarily what’s right.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/when-faced-with-moral-dilemmas-do-we-do-what) Religious people [don’t tip better](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-religious-people-tip-better-than-nonreligi) than nonreligious people. We actually [avoid situations](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-people-avoid-situations-that-enable-them-t) that would allow us to deceive others. Darkness [increases dishonesty](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-darkness-increase-dishonesty) and [your cellphone](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-your-cellphone-making-you-more-selfish) can make you antisocial. Envy is [your default setting](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-envy-our-default-setting) and dishonesty is [contagious](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-dishonesty-contagious). * For tennis players and programmers it [pays to be anti-social](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-being-antisocial-be-an-advantage). If you get caught red-handed, [smile](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-should-you-do-when-youre-caught-red-hand). Being bad can sometimes be [very good](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-being-bad-be-very-very-good). Mean people [make more money](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/who-makes-more-money-nice-people-or-mean-peop). * Compassion [increases creativity](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-compassion-the-key-to-creativity). It’s hard to be compassionate because your brain is wired to [see actions as deliberate](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-this-why-its-so-hard-to-be-compassionate). Music [makes you more compassionate](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-music-the-key-to-compassion). Working together to achieve a common goal is an effective way [to turn enemies into friends](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-you-turn-enemies-into-friends). * Marriage [inhibits antisocial behavior](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-marriage-inhibit-antisocial-behavior) in men. (It also makes male artists and scientists [less productive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-a-reason-why-criminals-artists-and-s).) You’re more fair with [attractive people](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-people-more-fair-with-those-who-are-attra) but attractive people are [more selfish](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-attractive-people-more-selfish). [Happy people](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-makes-us-selfish-happiness-or-sadness) and [prideful people](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-pride-make-us-selfish) are selfish too. * Music does affect your behavior. Kind lyrics [make you nicer](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-song-lyrics-affect-behavior). Going upward (like on an escalator) [makes us more kind](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-escalators-make-you-a-better-person). A warm room makes people more [social and friendly](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-make-a-gathering-more-social-and). [Clean smells](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-a-smell-that-promotes-good-behavior), [mimicry](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-quickly-and-easily-make-someone-a), reading [fiction](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-reading-fiction-make-us-nicer), [thinking about your childhood](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-a-way-to-quickly-and-easily-make-peo), [teddy bears](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-teddy-bears-make-you-more-ethical), seeing [others do nice things](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-seeing-altruism-make-you-more-altruistic) and [fear of gossip](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-gossip-make-us-less-selfish) make us behave better. * On the other hand, [feeling moral can lead you to act immorally](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-feeling-moral-lead-you-to-you-act-immoral). Showering can [make you less moralistic](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-taking-a-shower-make-you-less-moralistic) and washing your hands does [make you feel less guilty](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-literally-washing-our-hands-make-us-feel). “Paying it forward” [works](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-paying-it-forward-work). * Being selfless can be [the best way to be selfish](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-being-selfless-the-smartest-way-to-be-self). Guilting people [works](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-guilting-people-really-work). Being nice can make you a [much better negotiator](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-being-a-nice-person-the-quickest-route-to). Ethical people are [happier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-ethical-people-happier) and happier people are [better citizens](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-happier-people-better-citizens) but ethics books [get stolen more than other books](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/ethics-books-get-stolen-more-frequently-than). **Join over 195,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/06/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-kindness/)**_._** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) [How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/) [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Some people describe this as the worst idea that ever worked. A lot of people built something, because they had a great idea. We built something to solve a problem. And our problem was very simply, we couldn't afford to pay rent. And I think this is something that millions of people can relate to. They have space. They can't afford to completely pay for it. They'd like some extra income, they wanna meet people. That's what we thought. What if there's a way to book a home anywhere in the world? And that's basically what's happening. One of the most common things people say when they hear about the idea of [ UNKNOWN ], when they see people all over the world doing it, is why didn't I think of that? It's such a simple idea. Why didn't I think of that? You might not have thought of that. It's because when we thought of that, years ago ,. The most common thing people said is, Are you nuts? [ MUSIC ] When I came to the Valley, I did not know much about Silicon Valley. In fact, somebody told me, There are these people called Angels. And I had no idea that they meant angel investors. I think the key to, thing to learning is having mentors. And a key thing to having mentors is being shameless. And the shameless people learn really quickly and are successful. Most people are just afraid to ask people for help. And so we, Joe, Nate and I, were shameless about asking people for feedback. Whether it was just our investors or meeting famous entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos, who end up becoming an investor. Or Warren Buffet. You know, you seek out people. And most people are really nice and they will help you. Be if they can. One of the first mentors he met was Michael Seibel Michael Seibel the founder of a startup that became Twitch which sold to Amazon. But he'd meet with us every Friday and he had the successful startup so I said what can I do in return for you he said what I want you do is when there's another startup I want you do what I've done for you which is to help them just out of kindness and generosity. And I think that spirit, if I'm gonna help you and I'm gonna pay it forward if, if you're successful. Is a really, really important idea. What Airbnb is apart of is a, a wave of the internet. It was like Amazon was books on the internet, you know. Ebay was like your collectibles, your garage on the internet. There's another wave. The internet going into the real world. And so I think this is the beginning. So many people in 60 seconds can become entrepreneurs they can start a business they can build a reputation and airbnb I think is just the beginning now you see so many companies in what people call the sharing economy its just like the first chapter of it. You could literally see tens of millions of entrepreneurs emerging over the next 10, 20 years that are incremental from anything that's happening today. If you have an idea, if you have something you wanna do. If you wanna, like, you know? On Airbnb, you can be a host. There's ridesharing, you drive cars. Like, you can host dinner parties, you can make things, sell them on Etsy. I think all this is gonna expand so much. But you make things for yourself. You, and what that does is it creates. Empathy. If I've gone through the experience you as a customer have, then I, I care and I know what you feel like. And then, nothing's a transaction. Everything is a transformation. 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