Being kind is good for your emotional health, says Brock expert

NEWS RELEASE
BROCK UNIVERSITY
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Be kind – both for the betterment of humanity and for your own well-being, says Sandra Bosacki.

As World Kindness Day approaches on November 13, the Brock University professor of education is reminding people of the benefits of practicing kindness toward themselves and others.

The message, Bosacki says, comes at a relevant time: controversial global events fill news feeds and difficult conversations spill over into everyday interactions.

The director of Brock’s Theory of Mind in Education (ToME) Lab explores how having a kind and controlled mindset can help people treat others with compassion and feel better emotionally.

“Our research team is learning more about emotional regulation and control and investigating whether our ability to manage our emotions drives our kind behavior – such as being generous, helpful or reassuring – or is it the other way around?” says Bosacki.

Bosacki’s research, which focuses on cognition and emotional well-being in teens, shows that people can act kindly and show self-control for a variety of reasons.

Some people manage their emotions for the benefit of others, such as being kind and helpful to friends, she says. Others control their emotions to benefit themselves – often at the expense of others – to gain things or achieve desired goals, possibly acting in manipulative or coercive ways.

Bosacki says exploring the complex links between self-control and kindness can provide valuable insight into how people, especially young people, can learn to balance “self-skills” such as self-regulation and emotional control as a way to be kinder. and more compassion for yourself.

“Our research builds on past evidence showing that when children and adolescents have kind, gentle and compassionate attitudes towards themselves and others, they are more likely to be able to regulate their emotions and actions and achieve well-being and competence at school.” experienced. she says.

Bosacki hopes her research will shed light on ways to balance self-control with kind thoughts and actions, and how developing a kind mindset during the teen years will ultimately lead to a conscious and compassionate new generation of young adults.

“With many feeling the often heavy emotional weight of global events, understanding as much as possible about how we regulate our emotions will help shape a better, kinder future for us all,” Bosacki said.

The Mentalization, Kindness and Self-Control and Well-being Teen Study, currently underway, is part of a larger five-year research project led by Bosacki.

Adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18 are invited to participate in the online survey. Each participant must have informed parental consent, and the child and his or her parents must have a personal email address.

Parents who think their children might be interested in participating can contact the Theory of Mind in Education lab at (email protected)

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