Elementary school children who perform acts of kindness are happier and more likely to be accepted by their peers, according to a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of California-Riverside.

The four-week study looked at 400 students aged 9 to 11 from Vancouver elementary schools, half of whom were asked by their teacher to perform three acts of kindness such as sharing their lunch and hugging their mothers. The other half were asked to keep track of pleasant places they visited. Both groups then rated their own happiness level and were asked to pick out other students they would like to work with on a school activity.