New Insights on the Effect of Kindness on Chronic Pain |
Before serving on a mission with Doctors Without Borders, I often had back pain due to scoliosis. But when I volunteered for a mission in Sri Lanka for a 30,000-person refugee camp during the civil war, I didn’t feel much pain in my back. During work, I was completely immersed in caring for the hundreds of patients our team had to examine. I did my best to be kind to my team and to each patient.
I remember how immensely thankful parents were when I treated their sick children. Women’s expressions were of deep gratitude, and I connected intensely with the people I treated. The work was extremely rewarding.
I am not the only one whose chronic pain decreased with volunteering.
A large prospective study on about 48,000 British people found that people who volunteered reported significantly less pain over 10 years of follow-up compared to those who did not volunteer. [1]
Another study showed that social contribution activities (volunteering, donating, mentoring, doing environmental cleanups, helping those in need) appeared to buffer the negative psychological effects of chronic pain. [2]
But kindness towards others is not the only kind of kindness that decreases chronic pain.
Kindness towards ourselves, which can be called mindful self-compassion, also decreases chronic pain.
Studies show that mindful self-compassion was effective in decreasing........