Liebkind – The Leipzig Longitudinal Study of Kindness
 
Where does kindness come from and how can we best nurture it from a young age? Despite ongoing conflicts across our own planet serving as a constant reminder of the need for kindness, the answers to these questions remain as unknown as the mysteries of the universe.
 
The Liebkind study follows the children of Leipzig from birth through adulthood to investigate the big questions around the origins of kindness: Which kind capacities are children born with? Are kindness and other character strengths inherited? How do children learn kindness from caregivers, peers, or strangers on the street? Do children’s natural environments and daily adversities and positive experiences shape their potential for kindness? To answer these central questions, the study uses a longitudinal design with multiple methods (e.g., psychophysiology, interviews), developmental cohorts (i.e., birth, early childhood, and middle childhood), and timescales (e.g., daily and annual assessments).
 
As the most thorough and developmentally sensitive study of kindness to date, Liebkind will inform new ways to nurture the kind potential of all children.