doing good deeds essay

Essay on Good Deeds Reflect Good Character

Students are often asked to write an essay on Good Deeds Reflect Good Character in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Good Deeds Reflect Good Character

What are good deeds.

Good deeds are kind actions we do for others. They can be as simple as helping an old person cross the street or sharing lunch with a friend. These acts show we care about people and want to make their day better.

Good Deeds Show Kindness

When someone does good deeds, it shows they have a kind heart. Kindness is a part of good character. It means thinking about others before ourselves and doing things to help without wanting anything back.

Good Deeds and Respect

Good deeds also show respect. When we act kindly, we are treating others the way we want to be treated. This respect is a big piece of having good character.

Good Deeds Inspire Others

Seeing good deeds makes others want to do the same. This creates a chain of kindness. One good action can lead to many more. This is how good deeds can make a big difference in the world.

250 Words Essay on Good Deeds Reflect Good Character

Good deeds show who we are.

Our actions speak louder than our words. This means that what we do shows our true character more than what we say. When someone does good things for others, it shows that they have a kind heart and think about other people’s feelings. This is what good character is all about.

Good Deeds Make Us Feel Good

When we do something nice for someone, it makes us feel happy inside. This is because being kind and helpful is a part of who we are as humans. We feel good when we do good. So, doing good deeds not only shows we have good character but also makes us feel better about ourselves.

When people see us doing good deeds, it can encourage them to do the same. It’s like when one person smiles, it can make others smile too. Good actions can spread from person to person, making a chain of kindness. This shows that one person’s good character can really make a difference in the world.

In short, good deeds are a clear sign of good character. They show kindness, caring, and a willingness to help others. By doing good deeds, we not only prove our good character but also spread positivity and inspire others to do the same.

500 Words Essay on Good Deeds Reflect Good Character

Understanding good deeds.

Good deeds are actions that help others and make the world a better place. They can be as simple as helping an old person cross the street or as big as starting a charity to help those in need. When we do something good for someone else, it not only brings a smile to their face but also warms our own hearts.

Good Character Shines Through Actions

When we do good things for others, people tend to respect us more. This is because they see that we are thinking about others and not just ourselves. For example, if a student helps their classmates with homework, those classmates will think of the student as helpful and kind. This respect comes from seeing the good character the student shows by doing a good deed.

Good Deeds Create a Ripple Effect

One amazing thing about good deeds is that they can start a chain reaction. If you do something nice for someone, they might feel happy and do something nice for someone else. This is called a ripple effect. It’s like throwing a stone into a pond and watching the ripples spread out. Good deeds work the same way, spreading kindness and good character from one person to another.

Learning from Good Deeds

Challenges to good deeds.

Sometimes, doing good deeds can be hard. We might be busy, or we might not feel like helping. But it is important to remember that every good deed counts, no matter how small. Even when it is tough, choosing to do a good deed shows that we have a strong and good character.

In conclusion, good deeds are a clear sign of a person’s good character. They show that we care about others and want to make a positive difference in the world. Good deeds earn us respect, start a ripple effect of kindness, and help us learn important values. Even when it is difficult, we should always strive to do good deeds because they reflect who we are inside. Let’s all try to do more good deeds and show the world the best of our characters.

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Good Deeds Essay

A good deed can be defined as helping someone without expecting something in return. Doing good deeds is important for all of us. It helps us to become better people. It affects our lives and the lives of other people (for whom good deeds are performed) positively. It’s our moral responsibility to help others.

When we do good to someone, it inspires him/her to do good, help others as he/she received well. This way it affects our society as a whole and makes it a better place to live.

We should help others as much as possible. When each one of us will do so, it will make a huge difference and make this place a happy world.�

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52 Big and Small Good Deeds to Help Change the World in 2019

One good deed can lead to another so pass it on..

(Good Deeds Day)

You can make a real difference, one good deed at a time. When you perform acts of kindness, it doesn't just help others, it is  good for you  too. Doing good deeds, no matter how small, makes you feel better too.

You don't have to wait until the International Good Deeds day on April 7, 2019 , to make a positive change in the world, you can start doing it today by doing one simple good act a week.

1. Thank the salesperson who helped you 2. Buy an extra can of food to donate to a food drive or food bank 3. Help someone find a lost pet 4. Let someone go in front of you in line 5. Bring flowers to patients in the hospital or to the nurses' station 6. Weed a community garden 7. Apologize when you are wrong 8. Buy a buy-one-get-one pair of shoes or socks 9. Prepare food for firemen or policemen who have to work on a holiday. 10. Put out a bird feeder for the winter birds 11. Put an encouraging note in your child’s or partners' lunch bag. 12. Be the designated driver and make sure your friends celebrate safely 13. Smile at a random stranger – smiles are contagious 14. Ask someone to give a donation in your name instead of a gift 15. Pick up trash in a park or at the beach 16. Donate your hair to Locks of Love 17. Donate to your local school to help a child pay for their school trip 18. Help an elderly or young person cross the street 19. Put your change in a donation box when you shop 20. Donate blood or join the bone marrow registry 21. Pay it forward by paying for a cup of coffee for the person behind you in line. 22. Buy a meal for a homeless person 23. Bring a cake to work 24. Take public transportation or carpool instead of driving to work 25. Tell the manager about an employee who gave great customer service 26. Donate school supplies for children in homeless shelters 27. Volunteer for an hour at a senior center or nursing home 28. Hold the door open for the person behind you especially if they are carrying bags. 29. Sign up for a CPR course , you never know when you might need it 30. Bring a meal over to someone who just left the hospital 31. Donate clothing to goodwill or a clothing drive . 32. Give up your seat on the subway or bus to someone who needs it 33. Compliment a stranger 's new haircut or outfit 34. Sign up to be an organ donor 35. Go to an animal shelter and play with the puppies 36. Donate period products to a shelter for abused women 37. Plant a tree 38. Offer to babysit for a new parent 39. Donate old eyeglasses to an organization that will reuse them 40. Recycle plastic bottles, paper and whatever else is collectible 41. Help a friend move even if there are stairs 42. Shovel out your neighbor's walkway or mow their lawn 43. Save the mini shampoo bottles and soaps from a hotel stay and donate them to a homeless shelter 44. Walk or run for a cause 45. Bring a welcoming gift to a new neighbor 46. Read a book to children - yours, a relative's, or volunteer at your local preschool 47. Turn the lights off anytime you leave the room to save energy 48. Help someone change a flat tire 49. Share your umbrella with a stranger 50. Return shopping carts at the grocery store and leave the quarter in it for the next person 51. Give books to a street library 52. Leave a server a generous tip before a holiday

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: How it Feels to Do a Good Deed: A Personal Story 5 Inspiring Good Deeds from the Pages of History How Good Deeds Are Empowering Nepal's Poor [Q&A]

Goodnet was initiated by Shari Arison and is operated by The Ted Arison Family Foundation. Shari Arison is also the initiator of  Good Deeds Day .  

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Good Deeds — The Power of a Good Act: Making a Positive Impact

The Power of a Good Act: Making a Positive Impact

• Categories: Being a Good Person Good Deeds

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Published: Sep 16, 2023

Words: 615 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The essence of a good act, the ripple effect, the psychology of good acts, good acts in building a better society, 1. strengthening communities, 2. fostering empathy and tolerance, 3. inspiring positive change, 4. cultivating a culture of giving.

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Stories of Good Deeds

Npr listeners share tales of kind strangers, acts of generosity.

Susan Stamberg

Beverly Jordan keeps this photo of an anonymous couple who donated supplies after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida in 1992 as a reminder of their generosity. Beverly Jordan hide caption

Clara Delfino, seen in a photo taken around 1960, taught her daughter Donna the meaning of "good deeds" when she gave food to a stranger. Donna Delfino Dugay hide caption

Peter Strupp, seen on graduation day in front of the Christian fellowship house that took him in at the University of Wisconsin. Peter Strupp hide caption

Co-workers chipped in to help David Hutmacher at a time of financial strain. David Hutmacher hide caption

Acts of kindness and generosity come in many different forms: Giving food to a hungry stranger, donating one's time to aid homeless people or helping a fellow tenant make the rent. But it's their ability to touch us and stick in our memories that makes sometimes even small gestures a powerful and lasting force in our lives.

Last month, Morning Edition invited listeners to share stories about "good deeds" they had witnessed or heard about. NPR's Susan Stamberg reports on some of the many responses that came in. And npr.org offers a few stories that did not make it on the air.

After the Storm

Beverly Jordan witnessed an extraordinary act of generosity after Hurricane Andrew slammed into South Florida in 1992, leaving a wide path of destruction in its path. Jordan, a nurse, volunteered to go door to door in Miami delivering emergency relief.

Her relief van pulled up to a house that was nothing but a shell. She asked the young owners if they needed anything. "They said, 'No, but can you wait a minute here?' They came back out with a case of diapers and four or five bags of food and said, 'Would you please give this to somebody who needs it worse than we do?'"

Jordan says she never got the couple's name and wishes that she could thank them for their generosity.

The Most Memorable Christmas

Amy Scharman of Mapleton, Utah, remembered the Christmas after her parents divorced. Her mother was raising 13 kids with no child support. The holiday was looking pretty grim.

"It was about dusk on Christmas Eve and we heard a knock on the back door," Scharman says. When they opened it, no one was there. But someone had left 10 big bags filled with presents for the children, including clothes and toys.

"It was such an overwhelming feeling to see such generosity from I don't even know who it was," she says. Ten years later, Scharman and her family still don't know who did that good deed. Amy Scharman ends her note, "If you're out there, thank you for making that Christmas the most memorable of all."

A Mother's Good Example

Sometimes witnessing a good deed leaves a lasting impression. Donna Delfino Dugay of Harper Woods, Mich., remembers a day in California when she was 11 years old, and her parents took their six children for a special day at the beach. Donna's mother brought a picnic lunch — fried chicken and her famous potato salad — and prepared a plate for each of them.

"When I looked up from my plate, my mother was fixing one more plate... She turned away from us and walked over maybe 20 or 30 feet to where there was a man by himself. And he was picking his way through the trashcan. And my mother — I don't know whether she just put the plate there or whether she touched him gently or whether she said a few words — but I remember him turning to her in a gesture of thankfulness."

Dugay's mother came back and sat down at the table. "Years later, Dugay asked her mother if she remembered the incident. "She laughed and said, 'Not at all.' But for me, I remember it very well because for me, it was the touchstone for what good deeds became in my life."

Never Too Young to Help

Many listeners wrote of the generosity of very young people, Stamberg reports. Four-year-old Justin Dingman took the hand of a frightened fellow pre-schooler, serving as the welcoming committee on the boy's first day at school. Liadan Susoeff, 7, took books to a shelter in Pittsburgh at holiday time and read to the children there. Eight-year-old Luke O'Neill took one of his own coats to school so a less fortunate classmate could go outside at recess.

'A King's Ransom'

Peter Strupp of Boston remembers being "flat broke" his senior year at the University of Wisconsin. When he could no longer afford the rent at his fraternity, he found refuge in a campus Christian fellowship house.

Strupp would sneak into the kitchen to take food bought by his fellow tenants. "Inevitably the month came that I couldn't make the rent...

"The night before I was going to tell my housemates I was leaving, one of them stopped me in the kitchen. We were alone... He reached into his pocket and handed me a month's rent, in cash. Before I could say anything, he said, 'Don't pay me back.' Though the rent was less than $100, Strupp writes, "in a dark hour, it was a king's ransom."

Kindness in Passing

A simple act of kindness on a hot day nearly 50 years ago left a lasting memory for Dan Sullivan.

"There is hardly anything more boring than traveling in a military convoy," Sullivan writes. "In late 1955, a deuce-and-a-half truck filled with a dozen GIs and I were crawling across northern Iowa. It was hot, even with the canvas sides rolled up. There were no stops for sodas, and the 30 thirsty miles per hour took us nowhere forever. One of the few entertainments was watching an occasional car pass, so when a convertible pulled in behind, we took notice — even more notice when the beautiful woman in the passenger seat waved and smiled. And oh, miracle, she reached back into a cooler and pulled out two bottles of ice-cold Royal Crown Cola, which she passed up to us as they went by. Wherever that woman is, I hope she sleeps well tonight."

Giving at Work

David Hutmacher of Marietta, Ga., wrote of the generosity he received from co-workers when he became seriously ill three years ago. After three hospital stays, including two surgeries, he had used up all of his vacation and sick leave.

"It was the end of the year and my last paycheck at the first of December was for approximately 10 percent of its usual amount. I was worried it was fast approaching Christmas and I wouldn't be going back to work until mid-January at the earliest. I am married and have two daughters who at that time were 8 and 5, respectively. My wife, who is a schoolteacher, was just barely keeping things together. I really didn't think there would be much if any Christmas that year. So I was very surprised when on the 15th of December I received a paycheck. When I opened it there was not only a full pay period but also the pay I was missing from the previous check. I immediately called our comptroller for an explanation. It seems that all the employees had gotten together and donated any vacation that they had left for the year so I could get paid. I cried. It was truly a Good Deed."

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The Science of Good Deeds

The 'helper's high' could help you live a longer, healthier life.

It's a classic tale, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge -- the epitome of selfishness, the quintessential mean-spirited, miserly, narcissistic old man. Yet as Scrooge discovers the joy of good deeds, he blooms with the "helper's high" - and his spirit is reborn. And a merrier man had never been seen, as the story goes.

In the last few years, researchers have looked at the so-called helper's high and its effects on the human body. Scientists are searching to understand just how altruism -- the wish to perform good deeds -- affects our health, even our longevity.

Acts of heroism are one form of altruism -- as we saw on 9/11, when firemen rushed into the World Trade Center. Many firemen, chaplains, and citizens joined the rescue and recovery effort, working grueling 12-hour shifts.

In everyday life, countless people choose to give up free time to volunteer -- whether it's serving at soup kitchens, cleaning up litter, taking elderly people to the grocery store, or helping a next-door neighbor.

What prompts a human being to act heroically? What makes us perform good deeds? When we act on behalf of other people, research shows that they feel greater comfort, less stress. But what about the do-gooder's physiology -- how is it affected? Can doing good make us healthier, as a growing number of scientists now believe? Can it even, as studies suggest, help us live longer ?

This is the focus of 50 scientific studies funded through The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, headed by Stephen G. Post, PhD, a professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. It is a comprehensive investigation of altruism, aka benevolence, compassion, generosity, and kindness.

The Innate Need to Do Good

It's no surprise that, when we're on the receiving end of love, we reap a benefit. "There are ample studies showing that when people receive generosity and compassion, there is a positive effect on their health and well-being," Post tells WebMD.

Examples: "When a compassionate physician creates a safe haven for the ill patient, the patient experiences relief from stress," he explains. "One study showed that when men felt loved by their wives, they were less likely to experience chest pain that might signal a heart attack ."

Only in recent years have researchers explored the scientific underpinnings of the notion that "doing good" is indeed a good thing -- and precisely why it is good for us. Indeed, many scientific disciplines -- evolution, genetics, human development, neurology, social science, and positive psychology -- are at the heart of this investigation, says Post.

Linking Kindness and Health

In a paper published earlier this year, Post describes the biological underpinnings of stress -- and how altruism can be the antidote. This connection was discovered inadvertently in 1956, when a team of Cornell University researchers began following 427 married women with children. They assumed that the housewives with more children would be under greater stress and die earlier than women with few children.

"Surprisingly, they found that numbers of children, education, class, and work status did not affect longevity," writes Post. After following these women for 30 years, researchers found that 52% of those who did not volunteer had experienced a major illness -- compared with 36% who did volunteer.

Two large studies found that older adults who volunteered reaped benefits in their health and well-being. Those who volunteered were living longer than nonvolunteers. Another large study found a 44% reduction in early death among those who volunteered a lot -- a greater effect than exercising four times a week, Post reports.

In the 1990s, one famous study examined personal essays written by nuns in the 1930s. Researchers found that nuns who expressed the most positive emotions were living about 10 years longer than those who expressed the fewest such emotions.

The Science of Altruism

When we engage in good deeds, we reduce our own stress -- including the physiological changes that occur when we're stressed. During this stress response, hormones like cortisol are released, and our heart and breathing rates increase -- the "fight or flight" response.

If this stress response remains "turned on" for an extended period, the immune and cardiovascular systems are adversely affected -- weakening the body's defenses, making it more susceptible to abnormal cellular changes, Post explains. These changes can ultimately lead to a downward spiral -- abnormal cellular changes that cause premature aging.

"Studies of telomeres -- the end-caps of our genes -- show that long-term stress can shorten those end-caps, and shortened end-caps are linked with early death," he tells WebMD. "These studies indicate that we're dealing with something that's extremely powerful. Ultimately, the process of cultivating a positive emotional state through pro-social behaviors -- being generous -- may lengthen your life."

Altruistic emotions -- the "helper's high" -- seem to gain dominance over the stress response, Post explains. The actual physiological responses of the helper's high have not yet been scientifically studied. However, a few small studies point to lowered stress response and improved immunity (higher levels of protective antibodies) when one is feeling empathy and love.

In one study, older adults who volunteered to give massage to infants had lowered stress hormones. In another study, students were simply asked to watch a film of Mother Teresa's work with the poor in Calcutta. They had significant increases in protective antibodies associated with improved immunity -- and antibody levels remained high for an hour afterward. Students who watched a more neutral film didn't have changes in antibody levels. "Thus, 'dwelling on love' strengthened the immune system," writes Post.

Compassion in the Brain

There's evidence in brain studies of a "compassion-altruism axis," Post tells WebMD. Utilizing functional MRI scans, scientists have identified specific regions of the brain that are very active during deeply empathic and compassionate emotions, he explains. A new mother's brain -- specifically, the prefrontal lobe -- becomes very active when she looks at a picture of her own baby, compared to other babies' pictures.

"This is extremely important," Post says. "This is the care-and-connection part of the brain . It is a very different part of the brain than is active with romantic love. These brain studies show this profound state of joy and delight that comes from giving to others. It doesn't come from any dry action -- where the act is out of duty in the narrowest sense, like writing a check for a good cause. It comes from working to cultivate a generous quality -- from interacting with people. There is the smile, the tone in the voice, the touch on the shoulder . We're talking about altruistic love."

Brain chemicals also enter into this picture of altruism. A recent study has identified high levels of the "bonding" hormone oxytocin in people who are very generous toward others. Oxytocin is the hormone best known for its role in preparing mothers for motherhood. Studies have also shown that this hormone helps both men and women establish trusting relationships.

The Evolution of Kindness

"Humans have evolved to be caring and helpful to those around us, largely to ensure our survival," says Post. "In Darwin's Descent of Man , he mentions survival of the fittest only twice. He mentions benevolence 99 times."

Humans are mammals, and like other mammals we are social animals. As we evolved, our social bonds helped ensure our survival, explains Harvard psychiatry associate professor Gregory L. Fricchione, MD. Fricchione is working on a book about brain evolution and the development of human altruism.

"If it is evolutionarily beneficial for human beings to benefit from social support, you would expect that evolution would provide the species with the capacity to provide social support," he tells WebMD. "This is where the human capacity for altruism may come from."

The Impact of Genetics and Environment

An interplay of our genetics and our environment - especially in our early years - will play into whether we develop into altruistic individuals. "It's a bit like the traits of shyness and extroversion; people are found at all parts of the spectrum. You would expect that some people would have the capacity to be more altruistic than others -- and some preliminary findings that suggest how this capacity may emerge," says Fricchione, who is also associate chief of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

He's referring to a small study published recently, which looked at oxytocin levels in children's urine while they interacted with their parents. One group was composed of orphans who had spent the first 16 months of life in overseas orphanages - neglected before being adopted by U.S. families. The other group of kids had been raised in stable, caring homes during their earliest years.

The adopted orphans had produced lower levels of urinary oxytocin after being with their mothers, compared with children raised in nurturing homes since birth. "This may be a clue to a 'window of opportunity' in children's development, that those who grow up to be empathic, caring, and more altruistic in later life were nurtured more in their earlier years," Fricchione says. "That nurturing may help develop the altruistic capacity."

Future research might focus on whether the experience of being well cared for in early childhood could enhance the development of so-called "mirror neurons" that enable us to have empathic responses to the emotional states we witness in others, he says.

The Healing Hormone

Indeed, oxytocin may be connected to both physical and emotional well-being, says Fricchione. "Oxytocin is the mediator of what has been called the 'tend-mend' response, as opposed to the 'fight-flight' response to stress. When you're altruistic and touching people in a positive way, lending a helping hand, your oxytocin level goes up - and that relieves your own stress."

In one animal study, researchers looked at the numerous effects that oxytocin can produce in lab rats -- lower blood pressure , lower levels of stress hormones, and an overall calming effect.

Altruistic behavior may also trigger the brain's reward circuitry -- the 'feel-good' chemicals like dopamine and endorphins, and perhaps even a morphine -like chemical the body naturally produces, Fricchione explains. "If altruistic behavior plugs into that reward circuitry, it will have the potential to reduce the stress response. And if the altruistic behavior continues to be rewarding, it will be reinforced."

Again, Scrooge is a good example, says Post. "He comes alive because of his benevolent affections and emotions. What's really happening is that he's tapping into the whole neurology, endocrinology, and immunology of generosity.

"All the great spiritual traditions and the field of positive psychology are emphatic on this point -- that the best way to get rid of bitterness, anger, rage, jealousy is to do unto others in a positive way," Post tells WebMD. "It's as though you somehow have to cast out negative emotions that are clearly associated with stress -- cast them out with the help of positive emotions."

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