The Biology of Kindness
We tend to think about kindness as a quality that helps others, not ourselves. But a new book, The Biology of Kindness: Six daily choices for health, well-being, and longevity, unpicks the impact of being kind on our bodies and lifespan, as well as the effect of four other traits and behaviours – optimism, forgiveness, gratitude and happiness.
But while these can sound rather hand-waving, it is a story worth trying to unpick because the stakes are clear, as authors Immaculata De Vivo, a researcher in molecular epidemiology, and Daniel Lumera, a meditation specialist, show.
For instance, a 2011 pilot study looked at the impact of an eight-week intervention, which included exercises based on kindness, optimism and gratitude, on people who had been hospitalised for cardiovascular diseases. First, of course, there was guidance about what constituted kindness. The participants then performed and recorded acts of kindness, such as noting positive daily events, giving a compliment, helping with a chore, buyingsmall gifts, and so on.
Although their conditions were severe and the treatment short, 23 of the 30 patients who completed the intervention showed signs of clinical improvement, the authors write. This spurred other culturally-adapted interventions like ones designed to help lower blood pressure in Hispanic and Latino people.
In our daily lives, kindness could simply mean volunteering our time and talent for others. Regardless of who we do this for – friends or strangers –we experience the same positive feelings, one study indicates. Volunteering later in life, too, may reduce the risk of developing dementia, according to other research.
To cultivate the five essential traits and behaviours they identify, the authors expand on six strategies: physical activity, nutrition, meditation, relationships, music and connection with nature. In alternate chapters, dipping into their respective fields of expertise – epidemiological research and meditation – they offer us evidence-backed suggestions, plus practical
advice on leading longer, healthier lives.
Originally published in Italian in 2020, the book uses the length of telomeres – protective caps at the end of chromosomes – as a yardstick to assess the science of health and longevity. With time, telomeres shorten and become less of a bulwark against disease. De Vivo studies telomere length and susceptibility to disease, particularly some cancers. It is well known that habits like smoking or a sedentary lifestyle damage health, but they also accelerate the shortening of telomeres. Similarly, good nutrition and physical activity have a salutary effect on health and also reduce the rate of telomere shortening.
For instance, a 2018 study by Larry Tucker at Brigham Young University in Utah, which analysed DNA samples and the daily fibre intake of more than 5000 adults in the US, found that an increase of 10 grams of fibre per thousand kilocalories corresponded to 5.4 fewer years of cellular ageing. Even accounting for other factors affecting telomere length, such as smoking, there was a reduction in cellular ageing of 4.3 years. The finding validates a known rule for healthy eating – eat more plant food, a good source of dietary fibre.
Stress is a great enemy of telomeres, De Vivo writes, because it involves an oxidative process and a state of inflammation, both of which promote telomere shortening. Improving our ability to be happy, optimistic, forgiving, grateful and kind helps us cope with stress, De Vivo and Lumera emphasise, and they suggest ways to cultivate these qualities. To fight chronic psychological stress, the authors remind us to stop sweating the small stuff and to let go of grudges, while research does show that meditation helps us cope better with stress.
But while meditation is a fast-growing healthcare practice, few of us really understand it, free apps notwithstanding. Lumera assures us we can learn with the help of an expert, discipline and some lifestyle changes. Advanced practitioners experience the feeling of oneness with all living things, he says, adding that Anthropocentricism, the idea which places humans at the centre of all creation, has no future.
De Vivo and Lumera both urge us to commit to improving our quality of life.
In recent years, telomere length has been downrated as the ultimate biomarker of ageing and longevity. But the overarching message of this earnest book still holds good: by cultivating positive behaviours and tweaking our lifestyles, we can lead healthier, happier lives. Whether they hold the key to longevity is another question.