Cultivating Kindness at UTMB Health 

We believe in the power of a smile.

We believe that small, simple actions make a big difference, and that kindness and compassion make us all stronger and more resilient. We believe in the healing power of kindness, and choose to cultivate it, to nurture it and watch kindness bloom. Please join us.

About this effort

Pediatric care team in group photo

The world has faced some significant challenges these past few years, from epic calamities to a global pandemic and political turmoil. We don’t have to articulate what the resulting malaise, distrust and fear look and feel like: we all live it, experience it in our communities, online, and even in our workplace.

Many of us involved in this project are healers (this work started as an unofficial campaign in Nursing Services around the concept that “kindness was contagious.”) As healers, we want to make things better, we want to make people whole and get them feeling well. We also understand the importance and effectiveness of many small, positive actions, compounded over time and reinforced by those around us.

But there’s more to our belief than some New Age “be happy” philosophy. We also believe in science, and the research is on our side. Kindness decreases stress, pain and anxiety; it can help with blood pressure and depression, and we can train ourselves and teach others to practice kindness and compassion. We all benefit. Let’s work together to make kindness our norm. Let’s cultivate kindness.

 

The Science of Kindness