Sharing and caring can be good for the soul, but what about the bottom line?
altruism
How Disasters and Trauma Can Affect Children’s Empathy
Do children become more kind and empathetic after a disaster— or does the experience make them more focus more on self-preservation?
How Disasters Bring Out Our Kindness
In disasters, it’s human nature to band together and be kind to one another in order to survive
Is Human Nature Fundamentally Selfish or Altruistic?
Human inclinations are not primarily selfish: kindness and altruism have been evolutionarily valued in mates, and even the youngest children often try to be helpful
Humility: A Quiet, Underappreciated Strength
Humility doesn’t top the list of popular virtues these days, but if you’re ever in need of help, a humble friend is more likely to be there for you than a prideful one, new research suggests.
Human Kindness Genes Withstand Threats and Fear
People who are hard-wired to show empathy and kindness do so even in the face of a threatening or untrustworthy world.
Rats Show Empathy and Free Their Trapped Companions
Rats may not be, well, such rats after all. In the first study of its kind, researchers show that rats engage in empathy-driven behavior, helping to free a trapped cagemate for no reward other than relieving its fellow rat’s …
Why a Bad Reputation Gets You Noticed
Having a bad reputation may not be desirable, but it does make you more likely to be seen — literally. A new study finds that, all other things being equal, people are more likely to pay attention to faces that have been …
Learning from the Japanese Example — What Makes a Hero?
As Japan faces fallout from this week’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunamis, hundreds of workers and soldiers are trying at great personal risk to cool damaged nuclear reactors and prevent further spread of radioactive …
CommittedRelationships
An Evolutionary Explanation for Altruism: Girls Find It Sexy
One of the big unsolved mysteries in evolutionary theory is why creatures are altruistic. Selflessness doesn’t seem to be one of those qualities that ensure survival of a bloodline, since, by definition, it means acting against oneself.
