When someone shows you kindness, pay it forward and spread the love!

It takes so little effort to be kind to someone. Whether you hold open an elevator door or just flash someone a genuine smile, these simple selfless acts can go a long way to make a big difference to others' lives. 

A few weeks ago, I got on a bus to work, only to discover that my oyster card had run out and I had no change in my wallet. The bus driver told me to get off the bus (clearly, he wasn't in a kind mood) and I was faced with being very late for work. But just as I was about to step off the bus, a random stranger tapped me on the shoulder and handed me the £2 I needed to board the bus. 

I will never forgot that very simple random act of kindness - it made my day! And a week later, I did the very same thing for another lady who had lost her bus pass and was about to be thrown off the bus by the driver (what's with London bus drivers?). She beamed at me with so much gratitude that it was as though I might've just saved her life. 

Kindness makes a big difference! And now researchers at Harvard have proved it. Prof Nicholas Christakis has created a social networking game that demonstrates how kindness is paid forward. 

"We don't often see our generosity cascading through social networks to affect the lives of dozens or hundreds of people," Prof Christakis tells London's Metro. "It's very exciting to see it spread."

Christakis's also team found in a separate study that cooperative behaviour
spreads to three degrees of separation - from friend to friend to
friend. So if you are well-connected or have lots of mates, your compassionate acts could resonate even further
through the network, and you are also more likely to benefit from other
people's kindness.

As Oprah says: "Pay it forward!" and see your kindness spread...

For ideas on how to spread your kindness and compassion, click here!