The Selfless Gene
Most of us count ourselves fortunate when we come across a person who puts the needs of others before themselves. Aren't humans by nature selfish in our desires and goals? What motivates random acts of kindness that give no apparent gain to the former?
Let me segue to the title that drew you here in the first place. You know that this is quite clearly a reference to Richard Dawkins' influential book, The Selfish Gene. He writes that while it is the tendency of genes to multiply and multiply with no regard to anything else, this does not mean that human beings by themselves cannot be altruistic. In fact, there emerge a number of scenarios where it is in the best interests of an individual to be altruistic to pass on their genes to the next generation.
This is a topic of much interest in the field of social psychology. Many of the behaviours that we have evolved to perform on a daily basis point to the existence of several forms of altruism. When you help a friend carry her heavy keyboard to her room, this may be an example of what's called reciprocal altruism, where you take the effort to lend a hand because you expect the favour to be repaid at a later time. If you find yourself grumbling while doing half of your brother's assignment for him, your actions are no accident. Kin altruism drives you to chip in more work when the person in question is related to you, whether distant or close.
Okay, you might ask, what about strangers? Clearly, the chances of someone random you gave directions to the mall reappearing on your doorstep to hand you cupcakes aren't high. To answer this, we must turn to the societal metaphor of the smiley face emoticon: Prosocial behaviour. Either through observation or first hand experience, we learn that caring for the well-being of others belonging to our community and performing acts that cause them to feel happy and safe is an action that people actively encourage. Of course, there are individual differences that factor into this: Women are more likely to exhibit prosocial behaviour than men. It has been found that women receive a greater dopamine rush for being prosocial than men, so perhaps the notion of women being more "giving" than men has its merits. Maybe we as the young adults of today can close the difference.
Altruism is a state of mind that can be nurtured through time, allowing us to water seeds wherever we go in the hope that they bloom into something beautiful. It is a potential for human goodness that all of us can act upon with the aim of easing the trouble of all those who are lost in the sea. The compass sits eagerly upon your palm.
This is a topic of much interest in the field of social psychology. Many of the behaviours that we have evolved to perform on a daily basis point to the existence of several forms of altruism. When you help a friend carry her heavy keyboard to her room, this may be an example of what's called reciprocal altruism, where you take the effort to lend a hand because you expect the favour to be repaid at a later time. If you find yourself grumbling while doing half of your brother's assignment for him, your actions are no accident. Kin altruism drives you to chip in more work when the person in question is related to you, whether distant or close.
Okay, you might ask, what about strangers? Clearly, the chances of someone random you gave directions to the mall reappearing on your doorstep to hand you cupcakes aren't high. To answer this, we must turn to the societal metaphor of the smiley face emoticon: Prosocial behaviour. Either through observation or first hand experience, we learn that caring for the well-being of others belonging to our community and performing acts that cause them to feel happy and safe is an action that people actively encourage. Of course, there are individual differences that factor into this: Women are more likely to exhibit prosocial behaviour than men. It has been found that women receive a greater dopamine rush for being prosocial than men, so perhaps the notion of women being more "giving" than men has its merits. Maybe we as the young adults of today can close the difference.
Altruism is a state of mind that can be nurtured through time, allowing us to water seeds wherever we go in the hope that they bloom into something beautiful. It is a potential for human goodness that all of us can act upon with the aim of easing the trouble of all those who are lost in the sea. The compass sits eagerly upon your palm.
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