Psychology of Kindness & Competitive Masters Athletes

Weekly Resource Roundup

Psychology of Kindness

Psychology Today reviewed research studies on the psychological benefits we receive when we are kind to others. One study found that people that did random acts of kindness to strangers for four weeks, had higher levels of psychological flourishing compared to those who acted kindly towards themselves. The people that did acts of kindness also showed higher levels of positive emotions.

Helpful acts have also been shown to affect our perceptions of physical burdens. One study had participants wait in a lobby while an actor pretended to have trouble carrying boxes up the stairs and dropped a box. The actor asked the participant if they would help carry a box up the stairs. Another group of participants were tasked with carrying a box up the stairs as part of the study. The participants in both conditions were asked to estimate the weight of the carton and the participants that helped the actor carry the box up the stairs estimated its weight as lighter than those that were tasked with carrying the box up the stairs. 

This suggests we benefit when our motivations for kindness are directed towards other people rather than ourselves.

Masters Athletes Are More Competitive

Studies on Masters Athletes shows performance times improving over the past few decades.

• In Ironman triathlons its been observed that performance times among older athletes have continued to improve while they’ve stagnated in athletes under 40. Source
• Master triathletes have shown relative improvements in their performances across the three triathlon disciplines and total triathlon event times during Ironman races over the past three decades. Source
• Studies investigating the performance trends of age-group marathoners have shown significant improvements in running times among older athletes In the NYC Marathon. The times of men older than 64 and women older than 44 have improved significantly in the past 3 decades. Source
• The largest improvements in marathon performance time were found in men and women in the 75-79 age group. This suggests that Masters athletes have not yet reached their limits with marathon running. Source

The research suggests that it’s more competitive in an age-group competition as we age-up.

Read & Try

“Beyond happiness, generous people also experienced enhanced creativity, flexibility, resilience and being open to new information. They’re more collaborative at work; they’re able to solve complex problems more easily and they form solid, healthy relationships with others.” How 30 Days of Kindness Made Me a Better Person

30 Days of Kindness acts to try