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Dacher Keltner, in an article in Mindfulness magazine, writes that although power is often associated with nastiness and self-centeredness, his research shows that sustained power actually comes as a result of kindness. Here’s what he has to say:

“The scientific work I’ve been doing finds that power is not grabbed but is given to individuals by groups. What this means is that your ability to make a difference in the world is shaped by what other people think of you. Your capacity to alter the state of others depends on their trust in you. Your ability to empower others depends on their willingness to be influenced by you…

This idea distills down to four principles: groups give power to those who advance the greater good, construct reputations that determine one’s capacity to influence, bestow status and esteem on those who advance the greater group, and resort to gossip to punish those who undermine the greater good.”

Source: “The Power of Kindness,” by Dacher Keltner, Mindfulness magazine, February, 2017

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