Loving-kindness Practice

Practice Loving-Kindness with Random Acts of Kindness and Beauty

Have you ever seen that bumper sticker that says “Practice random acts of kindness and beauty”? Well, that’s a Loving-Kindness practice! Another example is the idea of “paying it forward,” where you do something nice for somebody else when somebody does something nice for you. You send the nice act to another person, then they send it to another, and so on.

Imagine what paying Loving-Kindness forward can do. As Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” Instead, practicing Loving-Kindness can create a ripple effect of positivity.

Scientific Proof of the Power of Kindness

It’s not just a feel-good idea, it’s scientifically proven! Neuroscience has shown that the pleasure center of the person doing the kind act lights up as much, if not more, than the person receiving the kind act. The pleasure center is located in the parietal lobe of your brain. Practicing random acts of kindness and beauty lights that lobe up like a Christmas tree, stimulates neurogenesis, or the birth of new neurons in that region of the brain. This means that practicing Loving-Kindness can increase your kindness power and ability to enjoy it, all while promoting brain health.

So why not go out and enjoy your kindness by practicing random acts of kindness and beauty? You never know whose day you may brighten and what ripple effect it may have.

Learn more about Counseling in Austin.

Jonathan F. Anderson, LPC-s has worked in the helping profession since he started college in 1990. After completing his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas, Austin in 1994, he attended the highly-regarded University of Minnesota to earn his Master’s degree in 1997. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and is recognized as a Board Approved Supervisor by the State of Texas Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. Jonathan has completed Level-2 of the Gottman Method of Couples Counseling, and in 1998 received training from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation in Advanced Critical Incident Stress Management & Debriefing. To learn more about Jonathan’s practice, click here: Jonathan F. Anderson, LPC-s.