It feels good to be kind to others. And it feels good to receive kindness. Making the world better, in however small a way, feels good and does good. Did you know kinder bosses are more successful bosses? That paying it forward can help build a purpose-driven life? Being kind strengthens relationships. Acts of kindness, whether given or received, improve our mental and physical health.

In the 2024 Rosalind Franklin Lecture, Claudia Hammond will take us on an eye-opening tour of kindness: what constitutes kindness, effective strategies to build more of it into our lives, and the benefits of being kind.

She will draw on the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, and her work in collaboration with the University of Sussex and the BBC, including the largest global survey ever undertaken into attitudes to kindness.

You are kinder than you think, but we could all be kinder still – with enormous benefits for our personal mental health and wellbeing. In the Rosalind Franklin Lecture 2024, Claudia will set out a prescription for a kinder life we can all adapt to our own circumstances, and explain how to use this guidance for ourselves, and others, to help bring about a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail.

About Claudia Hammond

Claudia Hammond is an award-winning broadcaster, author, and psychology lecturer. In her work she shares the ways that psychological and medical research can help us in our everyday lives, whether through radio, TV, podcasts, public events, or books.

Claudia is the presenter of several podcasts and radio shows including All in the Mind on BBC Radio 4 which covers psychology, neuroscience, and mental health, and the weekly global health show Health Check on BBC World Service. She is Visiting Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Sussex. Claudia gives talks on psychology around the world and often chairs public events on psychology, medicine, and science. She writes a regular column on medical myths for BBC Future.

Her latest book, The Keys to Kindness, covers the results of the world’s largest public science project on the subject of kindness, and is published by Canongate. She is also the author of The Art of Rest, Mind Over Money, Time Warped, and Emotional Rollercoaster.

About Samira Ahmed

Samira Ahmed is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster who presents Front Row on Radio 4 and Newswatch on BBC One, and was named Audio Broadcaster of the Year at the 2020 British Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. In April 2023, she made headlines around the world after revealing the existence of the earliest complete concert recording of The Beatles in the UK – made at Stowe boarding school in 1963. She won Stonewall Broadcast of the Year in 2009 while a presenter at Channel 4 News. Her documentaries include Art of Persia on BBC Four (2020) and Disgusted, Mary Whitehouse (2022). She writes a regular column in New Humanist.

About the Rosalind Franklin Lecture series

Marking International Women’s Day, the Rosalind Franklin Lecture explores and celebrates the contribution of women towards the promotion and advancement of aspects of humanism in the UK and around the world. The Rosalind Franklin medallist has made a significant contribution in one of these fields.

The lecture and medal are named after Rosalind Franklin, humanist and scientist, whose contribution to science for many years went unacknowledged on account of her sex but who is today rightly celebrated.

About Humanists UK

Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 120,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail.