Doing good for others benefits our own minds and bodies, as well. We explore the science of kindness.

Summary: On this episode of The Science of Happiness we explore how everyday acts of kindness strengthen our sense of connection and belonging, and why our brains are built to feel good when we support others. Drawing from both research and lived experience, we examine how even small gestures can reduce anxiety, increase purpose, and ripple outward through our communities. We also look at why kindness flourishes when it’s spontaneous and genuine, and how practicing it can open us to deeper presence, vulnerability, and joy.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Set an intention: Take a moment each evening to reflect on the day ahead and choose a general theme for how you want to show kindness. Like offering gratitude, being more present, or supporting someone who comes to mind.
2. Keep it flexible: Rather than creating a rigid checklist, identify a few broad “buckets” of kindness so you can let opportunities arise naturally.
3. Notice moments to connect: As you move through your day, look for organic openings to offer warmth. Whether through a sincere compliment, a helpful gesture, or simply slowing down to truly listen.
4. Act on what feels genuine: Choose gestures that feel authentic to you and appropriate to the moment, aiming for sincerity over perfection.
5. Reflect briefly: At the end of the day, jot down the acts you did and how they felt—for you and for others—paying attention to small emotional shifts or moments of connection.
6. Stay gentle with yourself: If you miss a moment or a day feels off, reset without judgment; the practice is about cultivating awareness and kindness, not completing a task list.

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Today’s Guests:

DANA MERWIN is a progressional clown and performer based in San Francisco.

Learn about Dana’s Work: https://tinyurl.com/bd6ew95a

Follow Dana on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/dspstzrk

DAVID CREGG is a clinical psychologist at South Texas Veterans Health Care System whose research specializes in positive psychology.

Find more of David’s work here: https://tinyurl.com/ajay6n6a

Related The Science of Happiness episodes:

Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability: https://tinyurl.com/yxw4uhpf

The Contagious Power of Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/3x7w2s5s

Who’s Always There For You: https://tinyurl.com/yt3ejj6w

Related Happiness Breaks:

Tap into the Joy That Surrounds You: https://tinyurl.com/2pb8ye9x

A Meditation for When Others Are Suffering: https://tinyurl.com/2tcp2an9

Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/yx64nk2n

Explore a gentle practice for releasing resentment and finding freedom through forgiveness.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Prepare Your Space and Body: Find a quiet, safe place to sit and take slow, grounding breaths. Notice any tension in your body and gently release it with each exhale.
2. Identify Who You’re Ready to Forgive: Bring to mind two or three people who have hurt you, and start with the one whose actions feel least painful. Reflect on how this hurt still affects your emotions and body.
3. Acknowledge the Hurt: Recognize what happened and how it impacted your life, trust, or well-being. Allow yourself to feel the pain without judgment.
4. Seek to Understand (Without Excusing): Consider what struggles or past hurts might have influenced the other person’s behavior. This step is about seeing their humanity, not condoning their actions.
5. Make the Choice to Forgive: When you feel ready, make an inner decision to release resentment and let go of the burden it carries. Offer kindness, respect, or simply your intention to move forward.
6. Reflect and Offer Yourself Compassion: Notice any small sense of softening or relief, and honor where you are in the process. End by thanking yourself for taking a step toward healing.

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Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

DACHER KELTNER is the host of The Science of Happiness podcast and is a co-instructor of the Greater Good Science Center’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Related Happiness Break episodes:

A Science-Backed Path to Self-Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/yh2a5urt

A Note to Self on Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/y53tkn87

Make Uncertainty Part of the Process: https://tinyurl.com/234u5ds7

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

Nine Steps to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/vb7kk5ky

The Science of Letting Go: https://tinyurl.com/566t8udf

The Contagious Power of Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/3x7w2s5s

This episode was supported by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation as part of a Greater Good Science Center project on "Putting the Science of Forgiveness into Practice."

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/trnz9x8n

Discover how forgiveness reshapes the brain, eases the body, and helps us move forward with greater compassion and freedom.

Summary: Forgiveness isn’t about forgetting or excusing—it’s about releasing the grip of resentment so we can make room for peace. Research shows it also engages empathy, strengthens emotional regulation, and helps us reconnect with what truly matters. In this episode of The Science of Happiness, we look at how forgiveness transforms not just relationships, but our overall well-being.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Acknowledge the hurt: Be honest about what happened and how it affected you—avoiding or denying the pain can keep it alive.
2. Empathize with the other person: Try to see their humanity and what might have led them to act as they did, without excusing the harm.
3. Choose to forgive: Decide, for your own peace, to let go of resentment and stop letting the past control your emotions.
4. Offer forgiveness as a gift: Imagine extending understanding or compassion toward the person, even if they never apologize.
5. Commit to your choice: Write it down, share it, or reflect on it as a reminder of your intention when old feelings resurface.
6. Practice holding on to peace: When reminders or emotions arise, return to calm, compassion, or gratitude—strengthening forgiveness over time.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Guests:

DR. EVERETT WORTHINGTON is one of the world's leading experts on forgiveness.

Learn more about Dr. Everett Worthington here: https://www.evworthington-forgiveness.com/

DR. EMILIANA SIMON-THOMAS is a neuroscientist and Director of Science at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.

Learn more about Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas here: https://tinyurl.com/2z7mhjbm

Related The Science of Happiness episodes:

The Contagious Power of Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/3x7w2s5s

Nine Steps to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/vb7kk5ky

Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability: https://tinyurl.com/yxw4uhpf

Related Happiness Breaks:

A Science-Backed Path to Self-Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/yh2a5urt

Make Uncertainty Part of the Process: https://tinyurl.com/234u5ds7

A Note to Self on Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/y53tkn87

This episode was supported by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation as part of a Greater Good Science Center project on "Putting the Science of Forgiveness into Practice."

Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/566t8udf