How Kindness Boosts Your Immune System, The Power of Visualisation & The Importance of Empathy with Dr David Hamilton
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This is the time of year that reminds us to be grateful, kind and spend time with the people we love. To celebrate, I have decided to re-release a conversation that took place on this podcast almost 6 years ago now with the wonderful David Hamilton.
David is a scientist, researcher and one of the world’s leading experts in the science of kindness. He is also the author of multiple bestselling books including Why Kindness Is Good For You and How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body.
This conversation was actually recorded all the way back in February 2020, one month before the start of COVID. But, as with most of the conversations on my podcast, the content within it is timeless and just as relevant today as it was when we actually recorded it.
In our conversation, we explore many different themes including:
- How empathy and kindness can impact various markers of our health, including the functioning of our immune systems and our cardiovascular health
- Why David calls oxytocin the ‘kindness hormone’
- How exactly we can use visualisation to improve the quality of our lives,
- The science of the placebo effect
- the importance of connection and empathy in healthcare
- And the phenomenal ripple effect of kindness, whereby one act of kindness can lead to one hundred and twenty-five more.
David is such a wonderful human being who is doing his very best to help create a kinder and more compassionate world.
I think this conversation is perfect for the current time of year and I hope that it serves as a gentle reminder that being kind is not only good for the world around us, it’s good for ourselves as well.
Watch the video version of this interview – click below.
“An act of kindness is like a pebble dropped in a pond.
Just as the pebble lifts lily pads at the other side of the pond, so an act of kindness lifts the person you help but also many of those connected to that person.
As their own spirits are lifted, their behaviour towards other is kinder too.”
David Hamilton
*DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for information purposes only. The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
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Dr Rangan Chatterjee
MbChB, BSc (Hons), MRCP, MRCGP
