Being kind is more important than ‘having big muscles’ for being strong, poll claims
Compassion valued more than physicality in survey on 'true strength'
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Your support makes all the difference.Being able to admit you are wrong, asking for help when you need it and being kind even when someone is rude or aggressive are among the signs someone is a “strong” person, according to a new poll.
The survey of 2,000 British adults revealed the traits which defined true strength, include being supportive, putting your problems aside to help others and speaking up when someone is being mistreated.
They also valued compassion over physicality when it came to defining a “strong person”, with 43 per cent considering an act of kindness to be a sign of strength compared to just 10 per cent who said “having big muscles”.
Dr Emma Gray, a clinical psychologist, said: “It’s promising to see that these Britons do value characteristics of kindness when defining strength. Humans are programmed for emotional connection so showing compassion and performing acts of kindness should not be overlooked.”
She added: “When we’re kind, it releases oxytocin hormones which is why we feel better about being kind. Kindness, like exercise, releases endorphins, a phenomenon known as 'The Helper's High’. It also boosts serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for happiness and well-being.”
The poll, commissioned by deodorant and antiperspirant maker Soft & Gentle, also found almost three quarters of adults believed being kind made you stronger as a person.
Half of those who took part also believed there was strength in honesty and another 48 per cent thought being willing to apologise for a mistake was a sign of strength.
Respondents were found to be nine times more likely to consider someone strong based on their character, rather than physicality.
Four in 10 said they carried out a random act of kindness at least once a day, with eight in 10 saying being kind to others made them feel much happier.
However, nearly six in 10 of those polled said it was getting harder to stay kind, as the world seemed to be becoming a crueller place.
A quarter of respondents also thought that rather than being seen as a sign of strength, kindness had only held them back in life.
SWNS
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