Everybody enjoys actsof kindness. But can you explain why? Some people think kindness is somethingout of love and care, while others believe it is just a tool that we use tobecome more popular. But research shows that being kind can activate（激活）an area of the brain called Striatum. Research also shows thatkindness improves people's mood（情绪）. But why and howdoes it happen? Here are a number of different ways.
Being kind can makesomeone smile. If you see yourself smile in a situation, people around may besmiling, too. This is specially true for your close friends and family. A kindact makes someone who is sad feel better. Itcan also make ourselves feel good. So why not set off that chain（链条）of good feelings to people around?
Secondly, being kindstarts or develops a social connection with others. Kind acts like buyingsomeone a present make friendships stronger. Research has shown that spendingmoney on others may help you get a stronger feeling of happiness than spendingit on yourself. Similarly, charities（慈善）also open up new circles of people to connect with someone on the other side ofthe world.
In another recentresearch, even children in their first year of secondary school know how beingkind makes them feel happy. If one person is kind, he or she makes others inthe group kind. It also lifts everyone's spirits. Imagine that you make cakesfor the office and it makes others do it each month. Then you're getting cakesa lot more days than providing them.
The story doesn't endhere. Being kind may improve your mood, but research has also shown that if you'rein a good mood, you can act much more kindly. This makes it a wonderful two-wayrelationship,doesn't it?
