"Together, we want to show how much power small gestures have," says Larissa Rothfeld, academic coordinator at the BUW institute. Every good deed counts - whether it's a kind word, a sympathetic ear or practical support. What makes it special: Every good deed can be entered in the official Good Deed Tracker on the website of the university in Maryland, USA, and thus made visible worldwide.

This is more than just a nice idea: research confirms that there are many reasons for good gestures for both givers and receivers. For example, acts of kindness, whether spontaneous or intentional, are said to have benefits for mental health.

"A day like this naturally serves to draw attention to a topic. Ideally, it helps people to perform good deeds on many other days as well and to do good for themselves and others," summarises Rothfeld. The institute decided to take part in order to spread the idea and, not least, to provide a platform for the relevance of community for mental health.