--- 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: 2026-03-31T08:32:28.898Z 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=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 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=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 10 Ways a Little Kindness Can Change Your Life ## 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 careGetty 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/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3932597/kindness-life-changing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3932597/kindness-life-changing/"},"headline":"10 Ways a Little Kindness Can Change Your Life","datePublished":"2015-06-29T04:01:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:32:28.898Z","description":"Compassion increases creativity","url":"https://time.com/3932597/kindness-life-changing/","keywords":["Psychology","relationships"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc82e6046b66a81fb/698858072dce0129e59e4545/185093831-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc82e6046b66a81fb/698858072dce0129e59e4545/185093831-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"hands-holding","caption":"hands-holding","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3932597/kindness-life-changing/","name":"10 Ways a Little Kindness Can Change Your Life"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on the Power of Asking for Help","description":"“Somebody described Airbnb as the worst idea that ever worked,” says Chesky, the founder and CEO of Airbnb.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fy92SP8r/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-04-16T01:06:09.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fy92SP8r.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3932597/kindness-life-changing/","duration":"PT3M6S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3932597/kindness-life-changing/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```