Mental Health News
A team of researchers at the Ohio State University explored how social connection and kindness can help in curing depression and anxiety. The study is published in The Journal of Positive Psychology.
The Study
The researchers recruited a number of participants from a large midwestern city, assigning them tasks related to availing cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) for depression, planning social activities, or maintaining a cognitive reappraisal. At the end of each task, they completed a number of questionnaires, namely:
- Depression, Anxiety And Stress Scales 21-item version
- Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
- Positive and Negative Affect Schedule
- Satisfaction With Life Scale
- Self-Absorption Scale
- Social Connectedness Scale
The Findings
The results revealed that kindness shown toward others is the best medicine for depression and anxiety in the long run.
The authors remarked: “Not everyone who could benefit from psychotherapy has the opportunity to get that treatment. Something as simple as helping other people can go above and beyond other treatments in helping heal people with depression and anxiety.”
To Know More You May Refer To
Cregg, D. R., & Cheavens, J. S. (2022). Healing through helping: an experimental investigation of kindness, social activities, and reappraisal as well-being interventions. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2022.2154695
