Human beings are kind to one another, and we sometimes help others at great personal cost. When I re-read the chapter on kindness in the Classification of Strengths and Virtues, I was again struck by how hotly debated the answers to this question are. This may be simplistic, but it seems to me that there are basically two groups of researchers and philosophers who are interested in why we are kind to one another: 1 those who believe in altruism and 2 those who do not.
One theoretical tradition "universal egoism" suggests that every "kind" act is ultimately done to benefit the self. A second tradition believes that people are, in fact, able to act with the ultimate goal of benefiting someone else. Psychologist Daniel Batson and colleagues offer the following commentary on universal egoism vs. Those arguing for universal egoism have elegance and parsimony on their side in this debate. It is simpler to explain all human behavior in terms of self-benefit than to postulate a motivational pluralism in which both self-benefit and another's benefit can serve as ultimate goals.
Elegance and parsimony are important criteria in developing scientific explanations, yet they are not the most important criterion. The most important task is to explain adequately and accurately the phenomenon in question.
First, let's consider the case against altruism. Acting with kindness offers the following "selfish" benefits:. It can be physically and psychologically uncomfortable to see someone in need of support e. Helping relieves this tension. You may remember the very last Seinfeld show. Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer were prosecuted and jailed in Massachusetts for failing to help someone being robbed, thus violating a Good Samaritan law.
Such laws actually do exist in a few states although fines are more likely than jail time. A much more common sanction for failing to help when needed is the disapproval of our friends, coworkers, family members, and romantic partners.
Selfish, Insensitive, Heartless, Mean--These are labels we wish to avoid. We earn the approval of others and feel good about ourselves for doing the "right" thing. A theory or "reciprocal altruism" suggests that kind acts are most often directed toward individuals who are likely to repay us in the future Trivers, If you offer to collect the mail of your neighbors when they are on vacation, then they will likely do the same for you.
Evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller noted that a truly anonymous act of kindness is the exception. For example, most "anonymous" donations are no secret to the giver's immediate family. Miller does not deny that most people have pure intentions when they donate money or time; but he does question why feelings of empathy and a proclivity to help evolved in the first place.
He suggests that they evolved because acting with kindness and generosity confers social rewards. If you would like to help support our vital work, please consider giving a donation today. I would like to donate towards a world with good mental health for all. Home Publications Doing-good-does-you-good What are the health benefits of altruism? What are the health benefits of altruism? Some often argue that there is no such thing as altruism, that people only help others for selfish reasons—to alleviate guilt, for some future benefit, or others.
And according to recent research on altruism in animals, there is very little relationship between higher cognition brain size or even strong social bonds between group members and altruistic behaviors. Our brains, which we will be covering in a new section to be released soon, are designed to be social. And social relationships have always been at the heart of our survival and happiness. Without cooperation, early humans likely could not have survived.
In fact, our brains treat our emotional pain the same way it treats physical pain. To our brains, a broken leg is virtually the same as a broken heart. Perhaps, then, there is something inside of us that intuitively understands we all need help sometimes, we all need to rely on each other, and this provides a springboard for altruism.
Altruism, like other forms of kindness, also feel good. What motivates people to risk their own lives to save a complete stranger? Altruism is one aspect of what is known as prosocial behavior. Prosocial behavior refers to any action that benefits other people, no matter what the motive or how the giver benefits from the action. While all altruistic acts are prosocial, not all prosocial behaviors are completely altruistic.
We might help others for a variety of reasons such as guilt, obligation, duty, or even for rewards. We're not sure why altruism exists, but psychologists have suggested a number of different explanations. Psychologists have long debated whether some people are just born with a natural tendency to help others, a theory that suggests that altruism may be influenced by genetics.
Kin selection is an evolutionary theory that proposes that people are more likely to help those who are blood relatives because it will increase the odds of gene transmission to future generations, thus ensuring the continuation of shared genes. The more closely the individuals are related, the more likely people are to help. Prosocial behaviors such as altruism, cooperativeness, and empathy may also have a genetic basis.
Altruism activates reward centers in the brain. Neurobiologists have found that when a person behaves altruistically, the pleasure centers of their brain become more active. Engaging in compassionate actions activates the areas of the brain associated with the reward system.
The positive feelings created by compassionate actions then reinforce altruistic behaviors. Interactions and relationships with others have a major influence on altruistic behavior, and socialization may have a significant impact on altruistic actions in young children.
In one study, children who observed simple reciprocal acts of altruism were far more likely to exhibit altruistic actions.
On the other hand, friendly but non-altruistic actions did not inspire the same results. Modeling altruistic actions can be an important way to foster prosocial and compassionate actions in children.
Observing prosocial behavior seems to lead to helping behavior among adults as well though the extent to which this occurs varies based on factors like gender, culture, and individual context. Society's rules, norms, and expectations can also influence whether or not people engage in altruistic behavior. The norm of reciprocity , for example, is a social expectation in which we feel pressured to help others if they have already done something for us.
They did something for you, now you feel obligated to do something in return. While the definition of altruism involves doing for others without reward, there may still be cognitive incentives that are not obvious. For example, we might help others to relieve our own distress or because being kind to others upholds our view of ourselves as kind people.
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