Kindness | Character Strengths | VIA Institute
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Kindness

"I am helpful and empathic and regularly do nice favors for others without expecting anything in return."

Become Aware Of Your Strength

Understand what kindness is all about so you can begin recognizing it in yourself and others.
What is Kindness?

Simply put, kindness is being nice to others. As you examine kindness further, a number of important dimensions begin to unfold. Kindness is being generous with others, giving your time, money, and talent to support those who are in need. Kindness is being compassionate, which means to really be there for someone, listening intently to their suffering or just sitting with them and silently supporting them. Such compassion involves a deep concern for the welfare of others. Kindness is also being nurturing and caring to others — to enjoy doing favors for them, to take care of them, and to perform good deeds.

Kind individuals believe that others are worthy of attention and affirmation for their own sake as human beings, not out of a sense of duty or principle. There are three traits of altruistic personalities:

  • Empathy/sympathy
  • Moral reasoning
  • Social responsibility
Which virtue is this strength?
Kindness is a strength within the virtue category of humanity, one of six virtues that subcategorize the 24 strengths. Humanity describes strengths that manifest in caring relationships with others. These strengths are interpersonal and are mostly relevant in one-on-one relationships. The other strengths in Humanity are kindness , love , and social intelligence .
Humanity

Explore and Apply Your Strength

Research findings on the benefits of the strength of kindness found people who give to others, in small and in large ways, tend to be happier as a result. Kind people are often likable to others, which can provide opportunities to develop meaningful relationships and love. Random acts of kindness have related to a range of benefits, including greater positive emotions, lower negative emotions, greater well-being, and higher peer acceptance (popularity).
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