Altruism

Altruists Make More Money and Have More Kids

There’s more evidence that selfishness is self-defeating.

Pacific Standard

Science Proves That Being Nice Is Its Own Reward

Selfless acts of generosity activate the brain’s reward regions, making the warm glow of kindness a very real thing, according to British researchers.

Forbes

Super Altruists (Who’ve Donated a Kidney to a Stranger) Show Heightened Empathic Brain Activity When Witnessing Strangers in Pain

The findings suggest that — at least for this group of “extraordinary altruists” — empathy for others may be a relevant driving force.

British Psychological Society Research Digest

Humans Might Not Be Altruistic ‘Avengers’ After All, Study Finds

Research contradicts the long-held belief that humans interfere when they see the abuse of strangers.

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine

Should You Sometimes Be Bad for Another’s Good?

Empathizing with others leads not only to help and support but also to cruelty.

Aeon

Is the Key to Successful Prosocial Nudges Reputation?

Reputational motives drive prosocial behavior. How can we harness them for good?

Behavioral Scientist

Larry David and the Game Theory of Anonymous Donations

What’s intriguing about anonymous giving, and other behaviors apparently designed to obscure good traits and acts, like modesty, is that it’s “hard to reconcile with standard evolutionary accounts of pro-social behavior,” the researchers write.

Nautilus

To Get a Grip on Altruism, See Humans as Molecules

Can we explain altruism by casting humans as atoms and molecules, and societies or populations as solids, liquids, or gases?

Aeon

Harnessing Reputations to Inspire Altruism

How can you motivate people to give to charity, conserve resources, vote, volunteer — or generally to do more good for others?

TEDxCambridge

What Are the Most Important Moral Problems of Our Time?

Will MacAskill is a co-founder of the effective altruism movement, a philosophy that tries to answer the question: How can we do as much good as possible?

TED

The Elusive Calculus of Insects’ Altruism and Kin Selection

How the ultra-cooperative behavior of ants, bees, and other social insects could have evolved continues to challenge formal analysis. But a new theory that includes hedging bets against nature’s unpredictability may help to change the math and shift the debate.

Quanta Magazine

Should You Broadcast Your Charitable Side?

Are people viewed as more virtuous when they publicize their good deeds to others?

Behavioral Scientist

What Makes a Hero Like Aaron Feis Is a Brain Mystery

Aaron Feis and other staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School lost their own lives while saving the lives of others. Science still struggles to explain such acts of heroism.

The Daily Beast

Could a More Individualistic World Also Be a More Altruistic One?

Equating individualism with selfishness may be a mistake: Some of the world’s wealthiest and most individualistic countries are some of the most altruistic, says Abigail Marsh.

13.7: Cosmos & Culture, NPR

How Fear Makes You Do Good or Evil

An ancient part of your brain determines your response.

National Geographic

Help You Help Me

Reputation is the oil that lubricates social interactions.

Behavioral Scientist

Why It Can Make Sense to Believe in the Kindness of Strangers

Caring about someone you have never met, this new brain research suggests, may have a lot in common with caring about the people you love.

The Conversation

Can Empathy Be Learned? Science Offers Some Clues

Researchers say empathy is not only a biological instinct, but also a skill human beings can learn and improve upon.

Religion News Service

What Drives Some People To Take Personal Risks To Help Strangers?

Acts of altruism — like saving swimmers caught in a riptide from drowning or donating a kidney to a stranger — are among the thorniest puzzles of human nature, says Abigail Marsh.

13.7: Cosmos & Culture, NPR

Global Cooperation Depends on the Strength of Local Connections

Institutions that encourage fewer, stronger connections might have a better shot at getting individuals to work together for their common good.

Aeon

Five Limits Your Brain Puts on Generosity

Studies show us various ways our brains limit generosity in different situations (and at different ages).

Greater Good