# Altruism Altruism in Social Psychology is defined as prosocial behavior to help others without regard for the consequences to oneself. Personally I believe [[There is no true altruism]]. Rather we act altruistically simply because it allows us to stay sane subconsciously and gives us rewards outside of the altruistic interaction. ## Three Reasons For Altruism ### Social Reward The first we act altruistically is for the ==social rewards== that come with having a good reputation in society. <!--SR:!2022-09-26,4,270--> One of the major rules of Influence talked about by Robert Cialdini in his book, [[Influence The Psychology of Persuasion]] is the rule of reciprocity which states that humans are hardwired to reciprocal interactions. Following this logic, it might be preferential to act altruistically so that you can in the long run receive some sort of reward back. I would argue in some cases this logic can actually be a good thing like in the [[Infinite Prisoners Dilemma]]. ### Personal Distress The second reason we act altruistically is so that we don't have to deal with the ==personal distress== of seeing someone else struggling or in pain. <!--SR:!2022-09-26,4,270--> ### Empathetic Concern The third reason we act altruistically is because we legitimately feel ==empathetic concern== toward the person in distress and want to increase their welfare. In my opinion, this lseems to be the most genuinely altruistic of the three reasons for altruism. <!--SR:!2022-09-26,4,270--> ### Altruism in Fantasy One of my favorite fantasy series that looks at not only altruism but greed, envy, jealousy, anger, and cooperation is the [[Three Law Trilogy]] by Joe Abercrombie. It's a great read for any dark fantasy lover but also illuminates the darker side of human nature. ## Are We Wired to be Altruistic? Is altruistic behavior wired into our very DNA? As discussed earlier I would argue that in any occasion where interacting altruistically with another gene machine would help genes replicate than we would evolve over time to be altruistic. This idea comes largely from Richard Dawkin's seminal book [[The Selfish Gene]]. There are wo pieces of convincing evidence to point to this idea. ### Children Can Show Altruism First off, children have been observed to show altruistic behavior. For example, in one study a child attempted to pick a dropped pen from an adult off the floor and give it to him. ### We Have Neuron Circuits Devoted to Altruism We also have specific [[Neuronal circuits]] devoted specifically to altruistic behavior. If our [[Neuron signaling]] evolved to have specific circuits just devoted to altruism it must be quite important. Studies have shown that when we cooperate, parts of our brain associated with reward become activated. [^1] ## What Determines How Altruistic You Are? ### Nature Obviously your genetics must play a decently large role in how altruistic you are. In [[Evolutionary Biology]] , there is an argument called the kin selection which states we will be more caring toward relatives and family because they are more likely to have genes similar to us. ### Nurture [[The cultures we live in effect our emotional focality]]. If you have a family who talked frequently about things through an altruistic lens in childhood, you will be more likely to act altruistically yourself. There is an argument to be had that people in Eastern Societies might act more prosocial especially toward their family members because Eastern societies promote interpersonal relationships. In contrast, Western societies often promote independence and self-sufficiency. Many studies have shown strangers are more likely to help others in Rural settings than in Urban ones. ![[Pasted image 20220907091206.png]] ### The Social Environment The social environment has a massive effect on altruism. Bystander intervention is helping someone in need while others are around. The more people there are around the more likely there will be a diffusion of responsibility in which everyone falls for [[Pluralistic ignorance]] as nobody sees a need to be the single one to stand up and help someone in need. If you are in a situation where you need help in a social situation, there are two things you can do to make help more likely: 1. Express your need for help audibly by saying something like "I need help!" 2. Single someone out in the crowd and ask them to help you. ### Relationships and Attraction Of course, a major determinant of how altruistic you will be willing to be is how much you like the person in need. I go into more detail about what determines your attraction and feelings toward others in my note on [[Relationships and Attraction]]. # Cooperation ## What Influences Cooperation? ### Reputation Your reputation prior to a social interaction will have a massive effect on how much people are willing to cooperate with you. If you have a reputation for being cooperative than it makes more sense to cooperate in games like the [[Prisoners dilemma]]. This idea promotes the theory that humans have evolved to gossip as a way to assess the reputation of others in their social environment. ^9a85d9 ### Construals Our [[Construals]] or subjective interpretations of a stimulus play a large role in how cooperative we are. If we interpret a social situation is framed in a way that promotes cooperation, we will likely cooperate more readily. For example, I have heard it's a good idea when dealing with a relationship issue to frame the problem using "we" instead of "I" as it emphasizes how you are together with your partner in solving the problem. ^c7c2ff ### My Personal Belief on the Best Cooperation Strategy Overall, I believe that in most circumstances life is more enjoyable if you cooperate with others. I discuss this in my note on the [[Infinite Prisoners Dilemma]] in which I explain that Tit for Two Tats is the best cooperation strategy even in the case where most of your social environment are playing nastie strategies as long as your social environment is mostly nice. [^1]: Rilling et al., 2002