logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2022
26m 27s

Pure kindness

Bbc World Service
About this episode

What can the latest research tell us about whether there is any such thing as pure kindness? Claudia Hammond meets a man who has done an exceptionally altruistic act for someone who was seriously ill. What prompts acts of kindness like this? Specialists from the fields of psychology and neuroscience unpick the evidence.

Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald

Up next
Jul 9
First malaria treatment approved for newborns
Until now there has been no approved treatment for malaria in newborns and infants weighing less than 4.5kg. We hear from families and clinicians firsthand what this new formulation, due to be approved across eight African countries, means for them.We are joined by Professor Dami ... Show More
26m 31s
Jul 2
Can bacteria-eating viruses be used to fight superbugs?
Phages are viruses that only infect bacteria. How might they help us tackle antimicrobial resistance? Franklin Nobrega and Esme Brinsden from the University of Southampton explain how their citizen science project that collects samples from around the globe is building a library ... Show More
26m 28s
Jun 25
Childhood vaccination coverage stalls worldwide
There has been immense progress on childhood vaccination since 1974, with over four billion children vaccinated worldwide. So why now are we seeing vaccination rates stall, and decline? We look at what is driving this stagnation that is putting millions of children at risk. The p ... Show More
26m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
The Anatomy of Kindness
In the Anatomy of Kindness, a three part documentary series, broadcaster, author and psychologist Claudia Hammond interrogates what it means to be kind, who we are kind to and the benefits of being a kind boss.For the first of the three programmes Claudia examines our motivations ... Show More
28m 50s
Mar 2022
The Anatomy of Kindness
In the final part of the Anatomy of Kindness, Claudia Hammond and guests ask 'Can Bosses be Kind'? Using evidence from the Kindness Test, the world's largest psychological study into kindness, Claudia starts her quest with Thom Elliot Co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims, who deliberatel ... Show More
34m 13s
Aug 2021
The Kindness Test
When was the last time you did something really kind for someone or someone else did something really kind for you?In the Kindness Test Claudia Hammond and guests are looking at the place of kindness in today’s world, asking what it really means, what happens in our brains when w ... Show More
42m 10s
Nov 2022
Why Kindness is The Superpower You Didn't Know You Had with Claudia Hammond #312
When was the last time someone was kind to you – or you did something kind for someone else? I’m sure you won’t have to think back far to find a few examples. And that’s because the world is a much kinder place than we might think. Today’s guest, Claudia Hammond, is an award-winn ... Show More
1h 47m
Mar 2022
The Anatomy of Kindness
In the Anatomy of Kindness Claudia Hammond asks who we are kind to. Professor Nichola Raihani from University College London says there are circles of connections, so family and friends, work colleagues, neighbours continuing out to everyone on the planet. Different people will p ... Show More
28m 7s
Jun 2022
Urban rewilding for wellbeing, oxytocin and kindness, false alarm crowd panic
What amount of biodiversity in our cities is enough to benefit our wellbeing? Good evidence can be hard to come by. Andrea Mechelli, professor of Early Intervention in Mental Health at Kings College London, together with landscape architect Joanna Gibbons discuss their pioneering ... Show More
27m 52s
Jun 2022
The Psychology of Regret
Claudia Hammond explores the psychology of regret with an audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival. What role do rueful thoughts on "what might have been" play in our lives? Is regret a wasted emotion or does it have some hidden benefits?Joining Claudia on stage : Teresa McCor ... Show More
39m 49s
Mar 2022
The Anatomy of Kindness Results
Claudia Hammond and guests announce the results of the biggest ever public science project on Kindness. With over sixty thousand participants from across the world this unique work helps to fill some of the research gaps and learn more about how kindness is viewed within society ... Show More
56m 29s
May 2024
Dishonesty researcher accused of fraud; hypocrisy; suicide prevention; awe
First today, a story of alleged academic fraud. The allegations against Professor Francesca Gino might seem unremarkable at first sight. After all, we’ve covered allegations of fraud in psychology on All in the Mind before and the field has been doing all sorts to try to fix the ... Show More
27m 34s