Self-Management of Depression

Kindness is an investment in social relationships that will yield you high dividends. Research supports that genuine acts of kindness, even when it is unpleasant or when one doesn’t expect anything in return, makes the doer of these acts happy (Lyubomirsky, 2007). The relationship between kindness and happiness is not merely correlational (happier people by nature may be kinder or vice versa) but causal. Simply put, acts of kindness do make people happier (Curry et al., 2018). When you get recognition by way of smiles, thankfulness, and friendship for your acts of kindness, it helps you satisfy a basic human need for connecting with others. When doing something for your partner, you sometimes, either consciously or unconsciously, want something from them – “I cleaned the garage, she should clean the bathroom.” Rather than keeping a mental score of your and your partner’s good deeds, remember that giving is its own reward. This reward is the feeling of happiness and conten...