What prevents people from being kind to strangers?
Humans have an innate desire to be kind, and there are numerous benefits to doing so, not only for individuals but also at a community level. However, people don’t always take opportunities to be kind, particularly towards strangers. In comparison to barriers to accepting kindness, barriers to performing kindness have received less attention in research. This project aims to address this gap by exploring barriers to performing kindness, then narrowing the focus to identify the biggest barriers to performing kindness for strangers. We then aim to identify whether an intervention can help people overcome such barriers and be kind to strangers more readily. Drawing on a range of research methods, including literature reviews, daily diaries, and experiments, we hope to draw insights that can be used to inform interventions that encourage people to be kinder to strangers and lead to lasting behavioural change. Encouraging people to be kinder to strangers not only has the potential to make communities more connected, but can also allow more people to access the psychological and physical wellbeing benefits associated with both giving and receiving kindness. This project addresses an important gap in existing research and has potential to inform real change through increasing kindness to ultimately create healthier and more connected communities.