KarunaNews Story

The effects of love or its lack can be seen all around us, says researcher Stephen Post, author of Pure Unlimited Love: Science and the Seven Paths to Inner Peace. Young adults who experience parental kindness have half the rates of mental and physical illness in midlife and tend to avoid alcohol or drug abuse as teens. Patients treated empathetically by their physicians and nurses are more likely to continue with challenging medical treatments, share information with them, and live healthy lives. People heal faster because kindness reduces stress, strengthens the immune response, and fosters resilience. A landmark 1998 study found that a larger number of adverse childhood experiences corresponded with greater risks of destructive behavior and illicit substance use, psychological issues, and reduced life expectancy, as well as negative health outcomes, in later life. Research shows older adults who took 15-minute “awe walks”—strolls during which participants gave mindful attention to nature—did better on psychological surveys for mental health and positive emotions such as compassion and gratitude.