World Kindness Day

What the day is

World Kindness Day is observed on November 13. It asks people to do something kind, whether that is a favor for a neighbor, a compliment for a coworker or a patient moment with a stranger. Schools, workplaces and community groups use it for kindness projects, and many people simply try to make one person's day a little easier.

It is an unofficial observance. The United Nations has not designated it, and the movement behind it has said it hopes to win that recognition one day.

Origin and background

The day comes from the World Kindness Movement, which grew out of the Small Kindness Movement in Japan. Its founders brought together kindness groups from several countries at a conference in Tokyo in the late 1990s, and the movement was formed there. Sources disagree on whether the key gathering took place in 1997 or 1998, and one account says November 13 was chosen because it was the opening day of that first conference. The movement's stated aim is to build a kinder world by encouraging kindness in individuals and in nations.

The day is not the same as Random Acts of Kindness Day, a separate observance held in February, though the two share a spirit and are often confused.

Researchers who study generosity have found that small acts of kindness tend to lift the mood of the person who performs them as well as the person who receives them. Kindness also spreads: people who see or receive it are more likely to pass it on. That does not require money or time. A thank you, a held door or a message to someone who is having a hard week counts, and the effect is usually strongest when the kindness is specific and sincere.

Kindness also needs to include looking after yourself. Being patient with your own mistakes is part of the same habit.

How to take part

• Do three small kind things today, such as thanking a bus driver, bringing a coworker a coffee or calling someone who lives alone.
• Write a note to someone who has helped you, and say specifically what they did.
• Leave a small gift, a plate of baked goods or a bunch of flowers on a neighbor's doorstep.
• Donate food, clothing or your time to a local charity, or pay for the next person's coffee.
• Talk with children about kind actions, and ask them to notice kindness at school.
• Be kind in public, too: leave a thoughtful review for a small business or a courteous comment online.