Can Kindness Be Measured & Shared Digitally?
In The Philadelphia Inquirer, the article “Rutgers professor seeks to spread kindness and compassion digitally” by Susan Snyder profiles Rutgers–Camden assistant professor Yoona Kang and her research on compassion, kindness, and digital well-being. The piece highlights Kang’s role as a faculty member in the Psychological Sciences MA program and the Prevention Science program, focusing on her development of Daily Compassion, a mobile app designed to encourage brief, anonymous acts of kindness across geographic, political, and social boundaries. Grounded in psychological science rather than sentiment, Kang’s work treats compassion as a measurable and testable construct, examining how small, intentional practices can influence individual well-being and collective behavior.
Snyder details how Kang and her graduate researchers recruited hundreds of participants nationwide to study how kindness spreads through the app. Users send brief, pre-written messages such as “May you feel brave enough to begin again,” without knowing who receives them. The study found that kindness is, in fact, contagious—participants who received positive messages were more likely to send them onward. Even limited use of the app was associated with increased well-being, while more frequent engagement correlated with reduced depression. Notably, participants across political affiliations and regions exchanged messages unknowingly, underscoring Kang’s goal of demonstrating compassion across difference rather than within silos.
The article also situates Kang’s work within her academic trajectory and teaching roles at Rutgers–Camden. Drawing on her own experiences as an immigrant and her extensive research background in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, Kang’s scholarship emphasizes practical, scalable interventions. As Snyder reports, Kang envisions Daily Compassion not as a sweeping cure-all, but as a simple daily practice—small, repeatable actions that, collectively, have the potential to improve mental health and foster a more humane digital culture.
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Understanding the Mind: The Psychological Sciences Program
The Psychological Sciences program at Rutgers–Camden offers a comprehensive curriculum that prepares students for advanced research and practice in various psychological disciplines. The program provides a foundation in research design and data analysis, with opportunities for individually supervised research apprenticeships. Students can choose between a thesis track, ideal for those aiming for doctoral studies, and a content track, suited for careers in non-academic research settings. The curriculum emphasizes scientific research methods applicable to real-world problems, equipping graduates with critical thinking and analytical skills essential for diverse career paths in psychology.
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