random acts of kindness

Read the latest stories about random acts of kindness from around the world on Newser.com

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How Acts of Kindness Help Heal Depression
How Acts of Kindness
Help Heal Depression
NEW STUDY
Jan 12, 2023 10:03 AM CST

How Acts of Kindness Help Heal Depression

Unlike some therapeutic techniques, it relieves symptoms and boosts social connection: study

(Newser) - People experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression will likely feel better in performing acts of kindness for others, which distract from their own feelings, new research shows. "Social connection is one of the ingredients of life most strongly associated with well-being," study co-author David Cregg, a PhD candidate...

Women Decide to Tip Like Crazy During Illinois Road Trip
Women Decide to Tip Like
Crazy During Illinois Road Trip
in case you missed it
Jul 30, 2022 9:20 AM CDT

Women Decide to Tip Like Crazy During Illinois Road Trip

Brandy Macumber, Tamara Bane of Iowa collected money via Venmo and gave it out

(Newser) - Two Iowa women wrapped up their fourth "BFF Road Trip" on Monday, and this year's vacation involved something unusual: media attention. That's because Brandy Macumber and Tamara Bane of Winterset decided to pump up their travels to Illinois by adding a "Tip Our Next Server Mission,...

Woman in 'Random Act of Kindness': 'I Feel Like Clickbait'

TikTok creator Harrison Pawluk gave woman flowers, video went viral; she's not happy about it

(Newser) - What's being deemed a "random act of kindness" by a TikTok creator wasn't taken that way by the recipient of said act, who says she feels exploited for her role in a video that's gone viral. The Guardian reports on the filmed stunt by Harrison Pawluk,...

23 Years After Act of Kindness, She Finds Out How Much It Meant

Tracy Peck's $100 gift to 2 young refugees kept them eating in 1999

(Newser) - The woman signed the envelope "a friend from the plane—Tracy." Then she tucked her earrings and a $100 bill inside and handed it to the two young refugees sitting next to her on the flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis in 1999. It was an act of kindness...

On Her Birthday, She Asked How to Help. Requests Flooded In

Virginia's Debra Ferrell decided to make people smile during her birthday month, with 53 gifts

(Newser) - The pandemic didn't allow Debra Ferrell to gather with her whole family for her birthday. So instead, she celebrated the day by giving back—with 53 gifts from her heart. Ferrell went on social media and asked people for suggestions on acts of kindness she could perform for others...

Minn. Drive-Thru Sees 2-Day, $10K Pay-It-Forward Chain

Minnesota nice is real

(Newser) - In a tough time for folks everywhere, a ray of holiday light seemed to concentrate on a Minnesota Dairy Queen last week, where one drive-thru customer began a pay-it-forward chain that continued for over 900 cars. Per CNN , it all began when one man offered to pay for the car...

Bank Worker's Christmas Eve Kindness Gets Her Canned

Emily James fired from US Bank after giving broke customer $20

(Newser) - One of US Bank's core tenets is "We put people first," but when one of its own senior bankers tried to do just that, she was fired. Emily James tells the Oregonian that on Dec. 23, she was working at the bank's call center in Gresham,...

Competitor Steps In for an Ill Friend

Moonlight Coffee shuts for a day so the Local Coffee Company can keep going

(Newser) - The people who own coffee shops a mile apart in Oak Grove, Oregon, consider themselves friends more than competitors. So with Dave McAdams in hospice care, and his wife, Tina, wanting to be with him, Pixie Adams decided to close up her shop and run theirs for a day. "...

She Looked Like Any Other Walmart Shopper. She Wasn't

A dressed-down Sia made the rounds in Palm Springs, Calif., paying for others' groceries

(Newser) - When Sia goes "undercover" for an act of generosity, she takes her disguises off. The 43-year-old singer, known for donning face-covering wigs, was spotted Wednesday in a Walmart in Palm Springs, Calif., fresh-faced and free with her wallet, with KESQ reporting she apparently picked up the tab for multiple...

She Walked 14 Miles to Work. Then She Got a Surprise Tip

Couple buys Denny's waitress in Texas a car after hearing about her long commute

(Newser) - She gave them extra ice cream; they gifted her a new car. Adrianna Edwards definitely got the sweeter deal this week after two customers at a Texas Denny's, where she works as a waitress, gave her a much-needed tip: a 2011 Nissan Sentra, per CNN . While dining at the...

'This Act of Kindness Is Just Unheard Of'
'This Act of Kindness
Is Just Unheard Of'
in case you missed it
Nov 24, 2019 6:42 AM CST

'This Act of Kindness Is Just Unheard Of'

Bagel shop manager drove nearly 400 miles round-trip to deliver forgotten keys

(Newser) - Diana Chong left her SUV running as she dashed into a bagel shop in Middle Island, NY, Saturday on her way to a pre-Thanksgiving celebration. It was four hours later, in Pennsylvania, when she realized she'd left her key set on the Long Island shop's counter, including a...

University Janitor Counters Racism With Kindness

After racist incidents at Syracuse University, Keri Courtwright takes action

(Newser) - Restoring your hope in humanity today: Keri Courtwright. The 35-year-old works the night shift as a janitor at Syracuse University, a school that's been investigating racist graffiti found on campus this month . Courtwright is no stranger to graffiti, and like all janitors has "graffiti cleaner" among her supplies....

A Customer's Card Got Declined. Then, 'One of the Kindest Acts'
Cashier Didn't
Think Anyone
Noticed His Good
Deed. They Did
in case you missed it
Oct 12, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Cashier Didn't Think Anyone Noticed His Good Deed. They Did

David Vance quietly paid for elderly man's groceries out of his own pocket after the customer's credit card kept getting declined

(Newser) - David Vance tried to pull off a subtle act of kindness for someone in financial straits last month, but someone noticed, posted about it online, and now the grocery store cashier in Northern Ireland is being hailed around the world. Vance, who works at a Lidl in Belfast, was working...

Boy, 11, Has a Challenge for El Paso

'We can make the world a better place,' says 11-year-old Ruben Martinez

(Newser) - An 11-year-old is helping El Paso heal by inspiring random acts of kindness. Ruben Martinez told his mother he no longer wanted to visit stores following Saturday's mass shooting inside a Walmart. "I explained to him that we could not live in fear and that people in our...

Officers Pay for Food Instead of Making a Shoplifting Arrest

Woman breaks down in tears at the gesture

(Newser) - Confronting a shoplifting suspect at a Whole Foods in Manhattan, three New York police officers assessed the situation. Security officers had detained the woman and pointed out groceries in her shopping bag that they said she hadn't paid for. After conferring among themselves, the officers made their call: They...

Mom on Stranger's Kind Act: 'I Cried My Way Up the Aisle'

Good Samaritan offered her his first-class seat when he saw her with baby, oxygen tank on flight

(Newser) - To the passenger who was in seat 2D on American Airlines Flight 588 on Thursday, America applauds you. As does Kelsey Zwick, a young mom on that same flight with her 11-month-old daughter, Lucy, headed from Orlando to Philly to receive treatment for the baby's chronic lung disease. USA ...

This Funny Photo Led to a Happy Reunion

Stuffed lion 'Kitty' went missing on a remote trail in Oregon, is now back home

(Newser) - A little girl who lost her beloved stuffed lion in the Oregon backcountry was reunited with her favorite toy over the weekend after a community effort. Hiker Holly Spaman ran into 7-year-old Audrianna Flores and her family as they descended Broken Top Trail on July 16 on their way back...

Stranger Enjoys Free Trip to Spain—Because of His Name

The 21-year-old joined a surprise 30th birthday trip

(Newser) - When a complete stranger messaged Joe McGrath on Facebook last week about a free trip to Spain, the 21-year-old in Manchester, England, thought it sounded like a hoax. But he says the invitation kept replaying in his head, and soon he found himself on the phone with a man who...

Coffee Stand Employees Stop to Pray With Grieving Customer

Now their good deed is going viral

(Newser) - A grieving woman who had just lost her husband found solace in an unexpected place: the young employees of a local drive-thru coffee stand. The Oregonian reports employees at Dutch Bros. Coffee in Vancouver, Washington, noticed one of their customers seemed upset while waiting in her car Saturday. It turns...

Pilot Turns Plane Around to Help Grieving Family

They were trying to catch the last plane to Memphis for their father's funeral

(Newser) - In the week before Christmas, one Delta Air Lines pilot gave a grieving Arizona family a "gift that no one else could," Tucson News Now reports. Father of three Jay Short died after a battle with lung cancer Dec. 16. Three days later, his family was attempting to...

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