Organised Acts of Kindness – OAK Campaign
A Position Paper from the EFPSA Social Impact Initiative
Authors | Irena Stojadinović, Isidora Bašić, Vanja Ivić, Kamila Jarosch, Dean McDonnell, Ana Odabašić
& Valerija Vidović
First Published | May 2016
Contact | [email protected]
Social Impact Initiative | April 2016 | Page 1
Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 3
The reasoning behind introducing the "OAK" campaign .................................................. 3
The significance of well-being in everyday life .................................................................... 4
Ways to improve well-being based on psychological methods ........................................ 4
What are the random acts of kindness and how do they work ......................................... 6
The “OAK” campaign ................................................................................................................. 7
References ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Suggested further Reading, Resources & Links ................................................................. 11
Social Impact Initiative | April 2016 | Page 2
Introduction
Following the success of the first campaign of the Social Impact Initiative of the
European
Federation
of
Psychology
Students’
Associations
(EFPSA)
(www.efpsa.org/social-impact): ‘Mind the Mind - to Combat the Stigma of Mental
Disorders’, the new campaign takes a step further towards the positive influence on
European society through the use of psychological methods. The ‘Organised Acts of
Kindness (OAK)’ campaign aims to bring people together while enhancing their
wellbeing by encouraging individuals to take part in random acts of kindness. The
preparations for the OAK campaign began in October 2015 at the EFPSA Joint
Executive Board and Member Representatives Meeting, held in Romania.
The purpose of this Position Paper is to articulate exactly what this campaign entails
together with its importance to the general public.
The reasoning behind introducing the “OAK” campaign
Altruistic behavior and acts of kindness can be an efficient way of improving someone’s
sense of wellbeing (Pressman, Kraft & Cross, 2015). Many of us have been in various
situations where we were exposed to or contributed to an act of kindness. Perhaps, we
might have given up a seat on a bus for someone else; or maybe we have been offered a
seat by someone else. There are many other examples, such as returning a grocery cart
after someone has used it, letting other people in front of you in a line at a shop, telling
someone that they have dropped something or holding the door open for somebody else
(Tolman, 2009). These actions, also known as ‘random acts of kindness’, serve the
purpose of sharing kindness, enhancing happiness and wellbeing (Buchanan & Bardi,
2010). Some psychological research has shown that when students perform a certain act
of kindness, they do not observe only the reaction of the recipient but the reaction of
other people who are observers in their surroundings and the sole performance of this
act brings them gratification (Tolman, 2009). Other studies have shown that performing
these simple acts of kindness has a positive effect on both the giver and the recipient
(Pressman, Kraft & Cross, 2015). In that sense, people can create a more positive
atmosphere amongst themselves through simple yet effective gestures. Based on this,
the Social Impact Initiative team has decided to create a campaign that would use these
random acts of kindness in order to create a positive effect amongst everyone involved,
especially on their wellbeing.
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The significance of well-being in everyday life
Wellbeing is a widely known concept that is used to describe the range of positive
emotions and an individual's overall satisfaction with life (Diener & Seligman, 2004);
however, it is important to note that since the concept of wellbeing was recognised as
important for everyday life, many authors and researchers have defined it somewhat
differently. Some emphasise the presence of positive emotions, while others point out
the necessity of the presence of negative emotions, in order to create the perfect balance
(Huppert, 2013). Despite the absence of consensus, assuming wellbeing is more than
mere absence of ill-being is justified, just like the World Health Organization (WHO,
1948) defined health as more than absence of disease or infirmity.
Another important matter that needs to be addressed is the difference between
subjective and objective wellbeing. Objective wellbeing can be described in terms of
good education, health, employment and security in general, whilst subjective wellbeing
refers to the way individuals experience their lives, which may or may not bear a
positive relation to indicators of objective wellbeing (Alatartseva & Barysheva, 2015).
The former is related to an individual’s social and demographic characteristics,
therefore, it is more difficult to change, whereas the latter is related to the ways in
which people organise and perceive their lives and thus it is easier to be altered (Oswald
& Wu, 2010).
For the purpose of this Position Paper we will discuss subjective wellbeing, since we
aim to improve this aspect of wellbeing through the OAK campaign. Among the aspects
of subjective wellbeing that have been commonly identified as being related to one’s
wellbeing are social inclusion, activity and relationships (Mind, 2013; Huppert, 2013).
Ways to improve well-being based on psychological methods
This section of this paper will explore different ways individuals can improve their own
wellbeing and that of others, focusing on the interpersonal aspects specifically. A large
variety of commonly received advice regarding the improvement of wellbeing has been
identified and includes talking about one’s feelings, building healthy relationships,
taking care of one’s physical health, doing something enjoyable, doing something for
someone else, setting challenges, relaxing, identifying mood triggers, looking after
yourself during difficult times, and accepting yourself (Mind, 2013).
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When it comes to interventions for improving wellbeing, we can differentiate between
individual, group, community or nation based interventions that are further divided on
those with a goal to improve objective or subjective wellbeing (Lyubomirsky,
Dickerhoof, Boehm & Sheldon, 2011; Foresight Report on Mental Capital and
Wellbeing, 2008). Individual level interventions are usually focused on developing skills
that underlie wellbeing, however, they mostly focus on populations where some type of
mental health difficulties are presented, thus undermining their influence on the general
population and potential benefits for their wellbeing (Gasper, 2004). Group level
interventions are delivered in specific contexts such as at school, in the workplace and in
the community. In order to improve wellbeing on the community level, it is important
to develop civic engagement and strong social networks, which would then lead to an
increased sense of purpose and belonging. In this context, media, such as social
networks, have been used to engage populations in order to promote mental health and
wellbeing (Huppert, 2009). Those focused on improving subjective wellbeing are
usually in the form of psycho-education or training, which provides individuals with
skills which can later be used to improve one’s wellbeing. The psycho-education,
however, itself is not sufficient for reaching this goal and continuous practice of the
acquired skills is necessary (Huppert, 2013). Recently, ways of improving wellbeing
using positive psychology interventions have emerged in order to increase positive
feelings, behaviours and cognition using a variety of strategies such as replaying
positive experiences and writing gratitude letters, which have so far been proven
successful. Moreover, positive psychology interventions also boost the wellbeing of
people experiencing depression (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).
Since wellbeing is such a broad and complex construct it would be very difficult to
target all of its aspects at once. Social inclusion, activity and relationships have been
shown to strongly relate to wellbeing, as well as altruistic behaviour. Altruism should
be understood as a desire to help other people even if there is a possibility of receiving
no reward in return or a negative consequence for the person who is helping. People
behave altruistically when they empathise with others i.e. when they are able to
understand other people’s experiences as if they were their own. When motivated with
such strong intentions, the mere act of helping others becomes rewarding (Aronson et
al., 2005). Altruism and empathy, therefore, are two concepts that are closely related to
the subjective perception of one’s wellbeing. Moreover, doing something for someone
else is already one aspect of social activity that is important for wellbeing. With that in
mind, this paper focuses on this specific aspect and unconditional obligation to be
responsible for others, especially for a stranger, in the form of the random acts of
kindness (Sampson, 2003). The campaign would be used to develop a community of
altruists who would encourage, but also reward each other’s acts of kindness through
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social support, and thus increase individual’s subjective wellbeing and it would be
developed as the group level intervention executed via social networks.
What are random acts of kindness and how do they work?
“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness.” – Scott Adams
Kindness is an adaptive characteristic important for interpersonal relationships that
contributes to the subjective wellbeing of both the giver and the receiver (Otake et al.,
2006). According to Levin’s theory of relational psychology, people’s unconditional
obligation to be responsible for others, especially a stranger, is very important and each
encounter with others opens each person to their responsibility to that individual. The
mere act of kindness, however, is important only when nothing is expected in return,
based on the principle of reciprocity. Levinas understand human life in terms of human
sociality and interpersonal relationships characterised by the unconditional obligations
towards others that contribute to human survival and wellbeing (Sampson, 2003).
But, what exactly are random acts of kindness?
Kindness is an adaptive characteristic important for interpersonal relationships that
contributes to the subjective wellbeing of both the giver and the receiver (Otake et al.,
2006). According to Levin’s theory of relational psychology, people’s unconditional
obligation to be responsible for others, especially a stranger, is very important and each
encounter with others opens each person to their responsibility to that individual. The
mere act of kindness, however, is important only when nothing is expected in return,
based on the principle of reciprocity. Levinas understand human life in terms of human
sociality and interpersonal relationships characterised by the unconditional obligations
towards others that contribute to human survival and wellbeing (Sampson, 2003).
Studies have shown that the characteristics of social relationships involved in their
influence on wellbeing are gratitude and kindness. Both of these factors are a part of
random acts of kindness; kindness represents thoughtful behaviour toward others,
whereas gratitude comes from receiving kindness from others (Otake et al., 2006). Kind
behaviour not only influences wellbeing and happiness but is influenced by it as well. It
has been shown that happy people are more motivated to be kind towards others,
recognise kind behaviour more easily and are more prone to act in that manner. Thus,
the interventions that engage in doing the acts of kindness enhance people’s happiness,
kindness and gratitude (Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2004).
How do the acts of kindness work?
The explanation for the increase in happiness of those receiving kindness could be
through the gratitude that is involved in the experience of positive events and social
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networks (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). Moreover, if people experience positive
emotions and a sense of belonging as a result of their kind behaviour, that would
enhance this behaviour, as well as the subjective wellbeing of those individuals. The
studies have shown that a simple intervention, such as counting acts of kindness, could
be successful (Otake et al., 2006). It was also shown that when carrying out random acts
of kindness and other forms of altruism regularly, some changing effects on our
physiological wellbeing can also be observed, such as lower blood-pressure, a decrease
in depression and increased longevity (Pressman, Kraft & Cross, 2015). This shows how
important the implementation of random acts of kindness in society is and what kind of
potential it is accompanied by. Additionally, it is not only the receiver of the kind act
that benefits from it, however, the giver also benefits through increased overall positive
affect, optimism, gratitude, life satisfaction and joviality.
Even though their importance has been affirmed, doubt as to whether these acts are
beneficial for everyone or just for those prone to this type of behaviour was identified. In
order to have successful interventions, it was important to see if the “forced kindness”
would work as well as spontaneous acts of kindness. The effect on wellbeing, whether
there was autonomous or non-autonomous motivation, has been proven to be the same
(Pressman, Kraft & Cross, 2015). One of the most common interventions of this type is
the one where those involved perform random acts of kindness over the course of
several weeks. A study that displayed higher level of happiness and subjective
wellbeing, as well as, lower level of negative affect at a one-month follow-up in those
performing random acts of kindness for ten weeks exemplified this type of intervention.
This, and similar interventions, function as external motivational factors in themselves
(Buchanan & Bardi, 2010; Otake et al., 2006). Kindness and kind behaviour are shown to
be efficient ways of improving wellbeing, thus these are important aspects to be focused
on when planning and developing this type of programme.
The “OAK” Campaign
The ‘Organised Acts of Kindness Campaign’ will be created in a form of an online
platform where people could register in order to get involved in the campaign. After the
registration, they will be encouraged to introduce themselves to the other participants
(in a form of a photo/post/video), in order to create a comfortable atmosphere within
the group. A calendar with daily acts of kindness will be created with the sole purpose of
reminding people to do their acts of kindness on a daily basis, as well as, sharing their
stories with the rest of the community (in a form of a video/photo/post). Moreover, the
members will be encouraged to inspire each other and come up with their own ideas of
these acts. Some of the examples of daily acts of kindness include purchasing a coffee for
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the person in line behind you, being present in a conversation, giving up your seat for
someone, complimenting others, setting technological devices aside while engaging in
conversations with others, smiling at someone on the street, telling your family how
much you appreciate them, buying food for the homeless and volunteering, amongst
others. Since people react well to social support, we would encourage them to share
their stories, regardless of them being an example of good or bad experiences. One way
to reward those involved could be receiving a certificate and an act of kindness from the
Social Impact Initiative Team after collecting a certain number of points for their
actions (for example: being rewarded points for doing a good deed everyday for a
month). That way we will make sure that people who are giving something to the
society, also get something in return, as well. The team will search for a suitable
questionnaire to use for the measurement of the campaign’s effect on the wellbeing of
the participants.
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References
Alatartseva, E. & Barysheva, G. (2015). Well being: subjective and objective aspects.
Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 166, 36-42.
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R.M. (2005). Social Psychology. Mate d.o.o. Zagreb,
Croatia, Chapter 11 , 380-414.
Buchanan, K. E. & Bardi, A. (2010). Acts of kindness and acts of novelty affect life
satisfaction. The Journal of Social Psychology 150(3), 235-237.
Diener, E., & Seligman, M.E. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of wellbeing.
Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5(1), 1–31.
Emmons, R.A. & McCullough, M.E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens:
An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective wellbeing in daily
life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377–389.
Foresight Mental Capital & Wellbeing Project (2008). Mental capital and wellbeing:
Making the most of ourselves in the 21st century [Brochure]. London, UK: The
Government Office for Science.
Gasper, D. (2004) Wellbeing: Concepts and conceptualization. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2364.
Helliwell, J.F. & Huang, H. (2011). ‘New measures of the costs of unemployment:
Evidence from the subjective well-being of 2.3 million Americans.’ NBER
Working Paper 16829. Cambridge: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Huppert, F.A., (2009). Psychological wellbeing: Evidence regarding its causes and
consequences. Applied Psychology: Health and Wellbeing, 1(2), 137-164.
Huppert, F.A (2013). The state of wellbeing science: concepts, measures, interventions
and policies. In: Huppert, F.A. & Cooper, C. (Eds.) Interventions and Policies to
Enhance Wellbeing. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford. Part of a six-volume set.
Lyubomirsky, S., Dickerhoof, R., Boehm, J. K., & Sheldon, K. M. (2011). Becoming
happier takes both a will and a proper way: an experimental longitudinal
intervention to boost well-being. Emotion, 11(2), 391.
Mind. (2013). How to improve and maintain your mental wellbeing [Brochure]. London,
UK: Celia Warin.
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Oswald, A. J., & Wu, S. (2010). Objective confirmation of subjective measures of human
well-being: Evidence from the USA. Science, 327(5965), 576-579.
Otake, K., Shimai, S., Tanaka-Matsumi, J., Otsui, K. & Fredrickson, B. L. (2006).
Happy
people become happier through kindness: a counting kindness intervention.
Journal of
Happiness Studies, 7, 361-375.
Pressman, S. D., Kraft, T. L. & Cross, M. P. (2015). It’s good to do good and receive
good:
The impact of a ‘pay it forward’ style kindness intervention on giver and receiver
wellbeing. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(4), 293-302.
Sampson, E. E. (2003). Unconditional kindness to strangers: Human Sociality and the
Foundation for an Ethical Psychology. Theory and Psychology, 13(2).
Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2004). Achieving sustainable new happiness:
Prospects, practices, and prescriptions. Positive psychology in practice, 127-145.
Sin, N. L. & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing wellbeing and alleviating depressive
symptoms with positive psychology interventions: a practice-friendly metaanalysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65(5), 467-487.
Tolman, E. (2009). Creating opportunities for interaction and critical reflection in the
interpersonal communication course: Completing random acts of kindness.
Communication Teacher, 23, 132-136.
World Health Organization. The Constitution of World Health Organization, as
adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946;
signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of
the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100, and entered into force on 7 April
1948).
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Suggested further Reading, Resources & Links

www.actsofkindness.org

www.randomactsofkindness.org

http://heroicimagination.org/

www.spreadkindness.org

http://www.thekindnesseffect.com.au/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/out-the-darkness/201311/elationthe-amazing-effect-witnessing-acts-kindness-0

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/helping-othersdampens-the-effects-of-everyday-stress.html

http://zenhabits.net/25-ways-to-help-a-fellow-human-being-today/
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