World Kindness Day is an international observance on 13 November. It was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a coalition of nations’ kindness NGOs.

During the 1999 World Kindness Movement conference in Tokyo, the cosmos bipinnatus was adopted as the official flower for the organization.

“Kindness is a universal language.”

I know, I know, every day should be World Kindness Day. But the reality is, between an out of whack work-life balance, losing patience in traffic jams, and feeling stressed over the upcoming holiday season, smiling at a stranger is often the last thing on people’s minds. So maybe we need a day to reinforce the importance of niceness, reminding us to let go of any anger and perhaps soften our too-hard exterior.

Besides, the mental and physical benefits of kindness are plenty, which should make us want to smile more and frown less. Author David R. Hamilton, Ph.D. writes that kindness has positive side effects including healthier hearts, better aging, and improved relationship bonds.

Source: Wikipedia, Randomactsofkindness, HuffingtonPost