Can being kind make you healthier?

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Image caption, A study has found that thinking kind thoughts about yourself and others can lead to a healthier, happier life!

Can being kind to yourself and others be good for your health?

A study by researchers at the University of Exeter and Oxford think this might be the case!

They asked a group of volunteers to listen to recordings that encouraged them to be kinder to themselves.

These recordings lowered the heart rate (how fast the heart beats) of the volunteers, and they seemed more relaxed and less stressed than before the recording started.

A low heart-rate can be very good for your health and well-being.

How did the study work?

The volunteers were divided into five groups, each group listened to different audio instructions.

The speed of their heart rate and how sweaty they got was also recorded.

Two groups listened to instructions that asked them to be kinder to themselves.

After listening to these recordings, they said they felt inspired to kinder to people around them.

Their results also showed that they had a lower heart rate and were less sweaty than other groups that took part.

Another group that listened to more critical recordings had higher heart rates and were sweatier, which are physical reactions connected with stress and fear.

The researchers say that more needs to be done to understand these findings.

But we wanted to know what you thought about this?

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