This month on The Happiness Challenge, Klaudia is focusing on the theme of kindness and its unique ability to boost happiness for ourselves and those around us. Building on last episode’s inspiring discussion with Bernadette Russell, Klaudia Mitura now takes the lead to share ten simple, science-backed acts of kindness you can easily weave into your daily life.

In this solo episode, Klaudia explores the transformative power of kindness—how small, intentional gestures can create a ripple effect of positivity and joy. You’ll discover practical ways to make kindness a daily habit, and be encouraged to reflect on your own capacity to spark positive change in the world.

Tune in for inspiration, actionable tips, and a reminder that even the smallest act of kindness can make a big difference. Ready to brighten your week—and someone else’s?

Hello happiness seekers and welcome back to the Happiness Challenge. I'm Claudia Mitura and I test drive the best happiness hacks that science has on offer. This month, the Happiness Challenge is all about kindness.

In the episode 159, my guest Bernadette Russell, who is a storyteller and author of a fantastic book, in conversation on kindness, shared her insights on why kindness matters.

Absolutely fascinating conversation because Bernadette undertook 366 day journey of engaging in random acts of kindness to not only boost her happiness, but also to create a more compassionate world. And in the words of Bernadette, redelivering her back to hope. So have a listen.

And in this short episode, I'm diving into the surprising science behind kindness and its powerful link to happiness. Plus, I'll be sharing 10 simple ways you can spread kindness this month. So grab a cup of tea, settle in and let's get started.

The act of kindness is one of these solid predictors of happiness. So research shows that it is absolutely the most consistent happiness booster both for the giver and the receiver.

And it is consistently found that people who perform small acts of kindness every day report a significant increase in their happiness level. This is because kindness releases a cocktail of feel good chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin.

Kindness also doesn't benefit our mood, it can also improve our physical health. So, so acts of kindness have been linked to lower blood pressure, reduced stress and even a longer lifespan. So it's a win win for our mind and body.

That's so fantastic at that individual level. But kindness is also much more powerful than that because it has absolutely massive potential to change the world for the better.

Because here is something even more fascinating. Kindness is contagious. When we are kind to someone, they are more likely to pay it forward, creating that ripple effect of positivity.

So a single act of kindness can spark a chain reaction of happiness, which it's absolutely amazing if we really stop and ponder upon that how much impact we can have in the world by being kind. There's also growing research about kindness in terms of work.

And I'm really, really pleased that we are talking about kindness in relation to workplaces.

Research shows more and more that kind people at work also succeed more often because kindness creates longer and more trusting working relationships. So we are able to then build upon those relationships and have more significant impact at work.

And I really love that because I personally think that when we think about kindness, we often think about small random acts of kindness towards strangers or being kind to our loved ones. But what about being kind to our colleagues? What about being kind to our bosses?

I think sometimes that really escalates the conversation when it comes to kindness. So kindness at the society level, really important, but also kindness, very important at that workplace level.

So really in a nutshell, kindness is a superpower. And the question of course is why? Doesn't happen more often.

And here I have a really interesting quote by Graham Alcott who in his book Kind, he has this very thought provoking insight which when I was really thinking about this, really kind of make me pause and reconsider kindness in a different light. He says the biggest cause of accidental unkindness is busyness. And I really think that's really true.

It's not necessary that we are unkind human beings. We are more often in rush, we are busy, we are not slowing down to think about our actions and impact they create.

BBC kindness test study confirmed that in their poll, 57% of people said that time was definitely a barrier for them to be kinder. Because in order to be kind, we need to slow down, we need to pay attention.

So like my guest in the previous episode, Bernadette Russell, she needed to go on a journey to build that kindness every day. So what we really need to do is prescribe ourselves a kindness mission more often.

Now that we know that kindness is a happiness superpower and now that we know that we need to slow down and we need to think about our kindness mission, I'm going to give you 10 simple science backed ideas to inspire you to be more kind.

My guest Bernadette Russell asked us to in next 24 hours, find a piece of really positive, hopeful news and share it with other people to generate more hope in the world. And I have the following additional 10 suggestions for you to try this month. So 1. Send an unexpected compliment.

So text a friend or a colleague and tell them something you admire about them. It really will make their day. I personally also love sharing songs with my loved ones. Something that can uplift their spirits.

But I think giving people a compliment, recognizing their strengths and is simple way that really lift the spirits of other people. 2. Buy a coffee for the person behind you. A very small gesture that can completely change someone's mood. I got a free coffee the other day that way.

What a surprise. How nice is that? 3. Write a thank you email. We often have lots of people who support us, but we forget to express our gratitude.

Whether it's for a teacher, friend, colleague, expressing gratitude is a powerful act of kindness. Number four, give someone your full Attention. Put your phone away and truly listen when someone is talking to you.

Again, giving someone our full attention is so simple and yet can be the biggest acts of kindness that we do. Number five Support the cause you care about.

That might be giving your time or making a small donation, but anything that you love in the world, support it to make a difference. Number six Leave a positive review. Whether it's a local business or a podcast, and here your words can really uplift someone's hard work.

And I really mean it. I often when I receive positive reviews about my podcast or on LinkedIn or about my book the Alphabet of Happiness, it really makes me smile.

It really makes my day. So leave a positive review for people share to uplift their joy.

Number seven Offer to help a neighbor carry their groceries, water their plants or simply check in to see how they're doing. Stop and have a chat with them. We often see our neighbors in passing, but be kind, share a homemade treat.

Maybe bake something delicious and share it with your colleagues or friends. Hay biscuits. Always a great idea to uplift people mood. 9. Buy an extra food item and donate it to the food bank.

Again, a small act that shows kindness that can truly change the world. And number 10 Smile at the stranger. It's free, it's easy and that may be exactly what they need to see.

Today you can even see how many people you can smile in one day. And I live in London. Not many people smile, surprisingly. So here we go. Smiling. So important. And the final really bonus one here.

Do something kind for yourself. Ask yourself what do I need right now? And go and have a kind playful break. And again, I often forget it myself.

But I think we do need to remember that kindness doesn't have to be grand or expensive. It's the small thoughtful gestures that often have the biggest impact. So there you have it. The Science of kindness and 10 simple way to spread Joy.

This month I hope you going to try at least one of those ideas and see how it feels. And don't forget kindness is a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it gets and we feel more comfortable with it.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friend or join my substack newsletter or pre order my book the Alphabet of Happiness as a surprise for someone else. Your kindness could help someone else discover the happiness they are after. As always, until next time, stay kind and stay happy. Bye.