'I played a social experiment on my neighbours – and feel like new man'

A man has taken to social media to share the social experiment he played on his neighbours over a seven-day period - as he explains the difference it has made to his and their lives

A man has been left gobsmacked after playing a social experiment on his neighbours - saying it has made him rethink his outlook on life.

He explained how he decided to do one random act of kindness every day to see whether it would make any significant impact on his or their weeks.

He said on Reddit : "I live in a pretty tight-knit neighbourhood, but like many places, everyone seems to keep to themselves. I wanted to see how far a little kindness could go, so I decided to try a week of random acts of kindness for my neighbours."

On day one, he baked a batch of cookies and left them on his next-door neighbour's porch with a note saying: "Just because! Enjoy!" Later that evening, he was surprised with a knock on the door from his neighbour with a thank you card and an offer to make him some homemade jam.

He added: "Day two: I noticed that the elderly couple across the street struggled with their yard work, so I spent a couple of hours mowing their lawn and weeding their garden. They were incredibly grateful and invited me in for lemonade. I learned some amazing stories about their lives and the neighbourhood history.

I Tried a Social Experiment on My Neighbors, and the Results Were Shocking
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"Day three: I decided to get a bit bolder. I left a note on the car of a single mom who often looked overwhelmed with her kids, offering to babysit for a few hours. I didn’t expect a response, but she texted me the next day asking if I could help out that Saturday!"

For day four, he decided to take a somewhat different approach and paid for the groceries of the person standing behind him in line. Although he didn't stick around to see their reaction, he says he felt "great about it". He added: "Days five and six: I continued the trend, helping out a neughbour with some grocery bags, leaving positive notes in mailboxes, and even starting a little “take a book, leave a book” exchange in our community park.

"The final day: I organised a small gathering in the park for all the neighbours who had been a part of my week. I put out snacks, and we sat around chatting and laughing. By the end of the night, I realised that a few simple gestures had completely transformed my interactions with my neighbours." All in all, he learned people were much more willing to open up and connect with others when kindness was initiated. He said not only did he make new friends, but he also felt the "entire community was uplifted a bit."

Commenting on his post, one user said: My neighbour brought home a new oven a couple of years ago. I offered to help him unload it from his truck. We dropped it and haven't spoken since." Another user added: "Seems like you’ve got a pretty cool little community there, very lucky. I have quite the opposite which is challenging at times, well done on all the gestures! I should try it."