Being kind is good for you. We have the science to prove it. | Opinion

Nearly 60 million American adults struggle with conditions that affect their brain health, most commonly depression and anxiety. Despite spending more money on treatment than ever before, outcomes are getting worse, not better.

That should tell us something important: We are missing a key piece of the puzzle.

Fortunately, one of the most powerful brain health interventions is free, available to everyone and backed by science. It is kindness.

Kindness is not just a moral virtue. It is a biological intervention that changes the way the brain functions.

When we are overly focused on ourselves – our pain, our worries, our frustrations – we activate a network in the brain called the default mode network. This network is involved in self-referential ("It’s about me") thinking, rumination and overthinking.

When it is overactive, people tend to suffer more. They replay negative experiences, worry about the future and get stuck in loops of anxiety and depression.

When we help someone else, we suffer less

Something remarkable happens when we shift our attention outward, however. When we help someone else, serve our community or show up for a neighbor in need, activity in the default mode network decreases.

Our brain becomes less focused on “me” and more engaged with the world around us. When that happens, people suffer less.

At the same time, acts of kindness trigger the release of powerful neurochemicals – dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin – that improve mood, reduce stress and strengthen social bonds. These chemicals also help regulate cortisol, lower inflammation and support overall brain health.

In other words, kindness doesn’t just feel good. It heals the brain. We need it now more than ever.

Technology is making us more isolated. It's a crisis.

We are living in a time of unprecedented digital connection and profound emotional disconnection. More than 33 million adults struggle with social media addiction, while more than half of Americans report feeling lonely. Among young people, more than one-third say loneliness disrupts their daily lives.

This is not just a social problem. It is a brain health crisis.

Excessive screen time reduces face-to-face interaction, weakens meaningful relationships and reinforces isolation. Over time, this creates a vicious cycle that worsens anxiety, depression and disconnection – further activating the very brain networks that make people feel stuck and unhappy.

But we can break that cycle. Every act of kindness creates a new pattern in the brain. It shifts attention away from internal distress and toward meaningful engagement. Over time, these repeated acts help build healthier neural pathways – ones associated with connection, purpose and resilience.

The science supporting this is compelling. In the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial, older adults who volunteered regularly showed increases in cortical and hippocampal volumes, areas of the brain associated with memory and cognitive function.

Other studies have found that volunteering improves cognitive performance and may even slow cognitive decline. Kindness, quite literally, can change the structure of the brain.

Kindness is free – and profoundly healing

That is why initiatives like Good Neighbor Day America on May 16 matter. This nationwide day of service was designed to give people an opportunity to engage in meaningful acts of kindness – whether it is helping at a food bank, supporting an animal shelter, cleaning up the environment or building community spaces.

These small actions do more than help others. They help us, too.

During a time when loneliness is widespread and screen time is taking up substantial chunks of our lives, we need more real-world connection. We need more purpose. And we need more opportunities to get out of our own heads and into the lives of others.

Of course, kindness is not a substitute for professional care. If you are struggling with depression, anxiety or other brain health challenges, it is important to seek help.

The best outcomes often come from a comprehensive approach, one that includes clinical care, healthy habits, supportive relationships and meaningful engagement.

Too often, though, we overlook one of the simplest and most powerful tools available to us.

Kindness is free. It is accessible. It is profoundly healing. When you take your mind off yourself and focus on helping someone else, your brain changes – and so does your life.

Your brain will thank you.

Daniel Amen, MD, is a psychiatrist, founder of Amen Clinics and author of "Change Your Brain Every Day."