The Keys to Kindness: How to be Kinder to Yourself, Others and the World

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Hammond valiantly unearths some great nuggets . . . quirky humour and sunny enthusiasm kept me reading Sunday Times Despite its practicality, it is also a book brimming with possibilities and positivity and left my faith in humanity in a state of steady restoration. I felt both empowered and inspired, my eyes, heart and fingers itching to see, recognise and spread some more kindness in the world immediately. Really nice book, learnt a lot about psychology and also interestingly fundraising. I have a couple of takeaways and when I told my colleague who is learning about fundraising, she confirmed these are very important principles.

In a world where it seems too often people are looking out for number one, which turns out to be themselves, something so basic as kindness often appears a forgotten art. Time and time again we hear about our inhumanities to one another, so many refusing to take a few moments out of their day to offer a touch of kindness to an acquaintance or even a perfect stranger. Key no 6: Anyone can be a hero. You’d expect to find ‘brave’ and ‘courageous’ amongst the characteristics of a hero, but other personality traits include ‘caring’, ‘helpful’ and ‘compassionate’, terms that all appear in the Kindness Test’s top five words given to explain what kindness means to people. Just as kindness is common so is heroism. There is a shared humanity. In the London tube bombings of July 2005, people didn’t trample each other in their attempt to save themselves. Instead, they showed great concern for others and helped them out. In The Keys to Kindness, Claudia Hammond takes us on an eye-opening tour of kindness: what constitutes kindness (it’s not what you think), effective strategies to build more of it into our lives and the benefits of being kind. She draws on the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, and her work in collaboration with the Universityof Sussex and the BBC, including the largest global survey ever undertaken into attitudes to kindness.Claudia Hammond's superb book reminds us of a truth that's too often forgotten: that rest isn't just an indulgence, but an essential part of a life lived well bestselling author of The 4 Pillar Plan - DR RANGAN CHATTERJEE

Yet when I surrender my seat, or you volunteer your time, we tend to feel a warm glow of self-satisfaction, a glow that shows up in brain scans, a glow that is distinct from the pleasure that registers when we win something for ourselves. We can also benefit through reciprocity. We can act kindly now, even if it’s at some cost to us, in the knowledge that at some point in the future someone will act in a kind way towards us when we need help. Reciprocity has helped humans to work together, survive and thrive for many thousands of years. Why not just celebrate the fact that the giver of kindness, as well as the recipient, has something to gain?A practical and inspiring book on the benefits of quality downtime and the secrets of how to unwind Scotsman Praise for The Art of Rest : Fascinating, entertaining and lucidly written . . . If we accept that reading is the most restful activity . . . The Art of Rest ought to be equivalent to a scientific siesta. The only trouble is that this outstanding book is far too stimulating to be restful ― Observer I comfort myself with the thought that my hesitancy in this instance probably didn’t really matter. The dog was safe, the chances are that she was microchipped and Lola and shorts-man were hopefully reunited. But I might have saved him some time and heartache. And this is how kindness in fact turned out to be very common in the study: 16% of people said they had received an act of kindness within the last hour and a further 43% received an act of kindness within the last day.