We’re Hurting Ourselves for No Reason.
Christine Porath, Professor of Management at Georgetown University, has studied incivility worldwide for 25 years, and confirms society today is far less civil than it used to be.
“My research has found that reports of incivility are indeed on the rise… incivility leads to negative outcomes not only for the workers who experience it directly, but also those who witness it - all of which harms businesses and society.”*
Professor Porath surveyed 2000 people worldwide for her 2022 research.
When you consider the simplicity of the Golden Rule, and that manners cost us nothing to use, it’s hard not to conclude we’re in a self-inflicted, self-destructive loop.
We need to break it.
*Source: “Frontline Work When Everyone is Angry,” Harvard Business Review, November 2022
Courtesy Releases Happy Hormones in the brain.
Small acts of courtesy release hormones that improve both mood and wellbeing, and promote health:*
1: Oxytocin - promotes a sense of bonding and reduces blood pressure
2: Dopamine - elevates mood
3: Serotonin - improves mental health and produces feelings of satisfaction
4: Endorphins - your body's natural painkillers
We all know how great it feels when we let someone into traffic and they give us a wave or a flash of the hazard lights, or when we say thank you to the checkout operator and we see them smile.
We can all experience these great feelings every day.
Common courtesy engenders other mental and physical benefits, too - exercising kindness is scientifically proven to reduce stress, improve heart health, and reduce inflammation.*
*Source: Cedars-Sinai 2019 / Mayo Clinic 2023
Our simple lack of courtesy is costing New Zealand millions every year.
The effects of New Zealand’s increasingly rude, violent and aggressive behaviour are wide ranging and significant for workers, businesses, and taxpayers:*
Worker anxiety and poor mental health
Physical injury or stress related illness
Sick leave and absenteeism
Low staff morale
Higher staff turnover
Negative customer experience
Reduced productivity and revenues
Higher costs for consumers
Common courtesy is free - but the cost of our incivility isn’t.
*Source: Violent and Aggressive Behaviour in the Workplace, shopcare.org.nz, 2021
