During my years of practicing medicine, I often received gifts from my patients—things like homemade cookies and similarly thoughtful offerings. And while I absolutely enjoyed the cookies, it was always the gesture that meant more to me. I remember those gifts because seemingly small acts of kindness are actually deeper than that. They give us a chance to connect as human beings and see the basic “good” in each other. We need them.

I’m bringing this up because, at a time when so many public figures are speaking and acting in ways that are harsh and divisive, it’s worth remembering the power of kindness. Recently, I read the latest World Happiness Report, an annual UN-sponsored study that ranks countries according to residents’ ratings of their quality of life (anywhere from “worst possible” to “best possible”). This year’s report made quite a few interesting observations, including the importance of “caring and sharing” in human happiness.

First, I’ll note some of the key country rankings: Nordic nations are home to some of the world’s happiest people, with Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden taking the top four spots. The United States? We trailed far behind, in 24th place. That’s our lowest position ever, apparently, and part of a broader trend: The report describes the major industrialized countries as being on a general slide, with many having markedly lower happiness levels than they did 15 to 20 years ago.

There are numerous possible reasons for this, and the report dug into some. Nordic countries, for instance, have strong social welfare systems, which help sustain their citizens’ consistently high quality-of-life ratings. People’s perceptions of corruption, in government and business, matter, too. (Yes, people are happier when they trust in institutions.)

But everyday generosity also emerged as a major contributor to people’s happiness. On the individual level, study participants who said they had volunteered, made donations, or “helped strangers” in the past month tended to be happier (pointing to the benefits of being a giver). Beyond that, people who generally had faith in the kindness of others, including strangers, were happier than those who were more pessimistic.

Here’s how the report looked at the faith-in-others question: It analyzed data from studies that have deployed the “lost wallet experiment”—where researchers deliberately leave wallets in various public places, chart the rates of return to the “owners,” and compare those rates against what survey respondents had predicted for their communities.

It turns out that Americans are far too cynical. In the studies, those lost wallets were returned about twice as often as U.S. study participants expected. Exactly why we’re pessimists is an interesting question that the report does not address. But the bottom line is that we underestimate the kindness of our neighbors and fellow citizens, and that’s one reason we’re so low in the happiness rankings. According to the report, simply believing that a stranger would return a lost wallet predicts a bigger boost to life satisfaction than a doubling in income. To me, that makes sense. A higher income might bring some financial relief, but feeling that you’re part of a society where people care and look out for each other is at least as important, if not more so.

I think this year’s happiness report has a couple of key lessons. For one, many of us could stand to view the world through rosier (and more accurate) glasses. If you see it as a kinder place, that will nurture your own happiness. Second, be a giver. That can mean volunteering in your local community or donating to charities near and dear to your heart. In my own life, my work—caring for patients and helping them achieve good health—has been a great source of happiness. But, as the report demonstrates, simple kindness in our daily interactions goes a long way, too. It has ripple effects; there’s even research suggesting that kindness is a “contagion” of sorts.

So hold doors open for strangers, pick up litter when you see it, say “thank you” more often, offer to grab coffee for a colleague, give people your full attention when they’re speaking—anything you can do to make someone else’s day brighter, and perhaps inspire him or her to pass it on. Trust that the daily actions we take can cultivate a happier life, for ourselves and others.