🏁 Axios Finish Line: Small acts, big impacts

Plus: What science says | Wednesday, September 07, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Sep 07, 2022 Sep 07, 2022 Welcome back. Keep chatting with us at FinishLine@axios.com. Smart Brevity™ count: 374 words ... 1½ mins.     1 big thing: The outsized power of small acts Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   Small and simple, kind gestures have immense, underestimated power. Why it matters: When it comes to doing nice things for others, a little goes a long way. That should encourage all of us to put in that bit of extra effort to make someone smile. 🖼️ The big picture: Researchers demonstrated the power of small acts of kindness in a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. The researchers conducted a series of experiments with different acts of kindness — such as offering someone a ride home or covering the cost of someone's cup of coffee. In one experiment, study participants at an ice skating rink in Chicago on a cold winter day gave other skaters hot chocolate for free. Then both parties were asked to rate how much the gesture was worth. The givers consistently undervalued how much the hot cocoa meant to the recipients. ⚡Flashback: This study reminds us of another recent paper, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, that showed we underestimate the power of reaching out to friends, family and colleagues. A quick call or text makes a big difference, the authors wrote. 🧠 Between the lines: That we routinely misjudge the impact of our actions matters for our behavior, Amit Kumar, a psychology professor at UT Austin and one of the authors of the Journal of Experimental Psychology study, told the New York Times. "Not knowing one's positive impact can stand in the way of people engaging in these sorts of acts of kindness in daily life." The bottom line: When in doubt, make the phone call, offer up the last chocolate chip cookie or let the stressed-out person cut in line. It means a lot more than you think. Share this story.     A message from Axios Get their attention     Professionals are busy — so we ensure our partners get their messages across quickly and effectively. How it's done: Smart Brevity Studio creates concise articles and visuals that get up to 5X more engagement than they do on other platforms. Find out more.     📝 Write to us! Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   We want to hear about the random acts of kindness that stuck with you. Tell us about a time someone — friend or stranger — did you a small favor that made a big impact. Keep it to one or two sentences, and we'll feature a selection of your responses in a future edition of the newsletter. Reach us at finishline@axios.com or just hit reply!   Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: