Study: Performing acts of kindness helps heal people with depression, anxiety

Individuals suffering from depression or anxiety may be able to help themselves recover by doing good things for others, according to a new study. The researchers discovered that doing acts of kindness resulted in gains that were not apparent with two other treatment strategies used to treat sadness or anxiety. Most importantly, the acts of kindness technique was the only intervention tested that helped people feel more connected to others, said study co-author David Cregg, who led the work as part of his PhD dissertation in psychology at The Ohio State University. Their study was published recently in The Journal of Positive Psychology.