Cognitively Yours 1.21

 

Raja R, Author

"Altruism is a concern for the welfare of others as an end in itself"

We have in the previous twenty plus blogs discussed how various biases affect our investment decisions and prevent us from maximising wealth creation. We have focused on wealth creation for personal benefit rather than for altruistic benefits. In this blog, we will discuss on “Altruism”, its meaning and significance.

Altruism is a concern for the welfare of others as an end in itself. Improving the welfare of others often requires a cost in terms of time, energy and risk. At the opposite extreme, saving a life often requires a substantial risk to save one’s own. Seemingly altruistic acts take place all around us, from simple courtesies to heroic self-sacrifice. Does altruism exist? Those who challenge the existence of altruism do not deny that there are seemingly altruistic acts, but question whether these acts are based on altruistic motives. Pure egoists might help others as a means to pursue their own selfish ends. The welfare of others as an end in itself may be absent.

“When it becomes an ideal that I must be unselfish in order to save somebody, then it is no longer unselfishness. Whereas, when there is a total understanding of the whole process of life, out of that comes a mutation; and that is beyond those words of altruism and social work and all the rest of it.”-Jiddu Krishnamurti, renowned thinker has a different perspective of altruism.

“How so ever selfish man may be supposed to be, there are evidently some principles in nature, which interest him in the fate of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derive nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it".-Adam Smith in The Theory of Moral Sentiments.

While the pleasure involved in seeing it may be considered "selfish" (if we have the sophomoric argument that altruism by definition impossible, because people do what they "want" to do) – these words of Adam Smith captures the idea that people are motivated by positive payoffs for others as well as for themselves.

Examples of Altruism

Everyday life is filled with small acts of altruism, from holding the door for strangers to helping people who are in desperate need of money. News stories often focus on grander cases of altruism, such as a man who dives into an icy river to rescue a drowning stranger or a donor who gives thousands of dollars to a local charity.

Some examples of altruism include:

·  Doing something to help another person with no expectation of reward

·  Forgoing things that may bring personal benefits, if they create costs for others

·  Helping someone despite personal costs or risks

·  Sharing resources even in the face of scarcity

·  Showing concern for someone else's well-being and providing him with well-intended advice.

·  Doing an act like removing a stone or filling a pit on the middle of a road. Here, the intended beneficiaries are unknown and faceless.

Various explanations have been provided to understand why people are altruistic, here are some them:

Evolution

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. Pro-social behaviours such as altruism, cooperativeness, and empathy may also have a genetic basis.

Brain-Based Rewards

Altruism activates reward centres in the brain. Neurobiologists have found that when a person behaves altruistically, the pleasure centres 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 behaviours.

Environment

Interactions and relationships with others have a major influence on altruistic behaviour, and socialisation 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. Modelling altruistic actions can be an important way to foster pro-social and compassionate actions in children. Observing pro-social behaviour seems to lead to helping behaviour among adults as well (though the extent to which this occurs, varies based on factors like gender, culture, and individual context.

Social Norms

Society's rules, norms, and expectations can also influence whether or not people engage in altruistic behaviour. 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. Religion also plays an important role in promoting altruistic values. The downside may be what is termed as “parochial altruism” which is altruism promoted only among the members of the religious community.

Incentives

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. Ture, expecting benefits from acts of altruism is akin to “liar’s paradox”.

Other cognitive explanations include:

Empathy

People are more likely to engage in altruistic behaviour when they feel empathy for the person in distress, a suggestion known as the empathy-altruism hypothesis. Children also tend to become more altruistic as their sense of empathy develops.

Helping relieve negative feelings

Altruistic acts may help alleviate the negative feelings associated with seeing someone else in distress, an idea referred to as the negative-state relief model. Essentially, seeing another person in trouble causes us to feel upset, distressed, or uncomfortable, but helping them reduces these negative feelings.

Impact of Altruism

While altruism can have some drawbacks when taken to extremes, it is a positive force that can benefit both you and others. Altruism has a wide range of benefits, like:

Better health: Behaving altruistically can improve physical health in a variety of ways. People who volunteer have better overall health, and regularly engaging in helping behaviours is linked to a significantly lower mortality.

Better mental well-being: Doing good things for other people can make you feel good about yourself and the world. Research shows that people experience increased happiness after doing good things for other people.

Better relationships: Being kind and compassionate can also lead to a better relationship with your partner, as kindness is one of the most important qualities that people across all cultures seek in a partner.

Fostering Altruistic Behaviour

While some people may come by altruistic tendencies more naturally, there are things that you can do to help foster helpful behaviours in yourself and others. These include:

Finding inspiration: Look to inspirational people who engage in altruistic acts. Seeing others work to actively improve the lives of individuals and communities can inspire you to act altruistically in your own life.

Practising empathy: Rather than distancing yourself from others, practice empathy by building connections and putting a human face on the problems you see. Consider how you would feel in that situation, and think about things that you can do to help make a difference.

Setting a goal: Find ways that you can regularly perform random acts of kindness for others. Look around you for people who may need help, or look for ways that you can volunteer in your community. Fix a meal for someone in need, help a friend with a chore, donate during a blood drive, or spend some time volunteering for a local organisation or teach a student without any reward. This will help make doing good better-Effective Altruism.

Potential Pitfalls

There can be some possible drawbacks and difficulties to altruism, like:

·  It can sometimes create risk. People may engage in altruistic acts that can place them in danger.

·  It may sometimes lead people to neglect their own health, social, or financial needs in order to care for others.

·  While acts of altruism may be done with good intentions, they don't always lead to positive outcomes.

·  It may lead people to focus their efforts on one cause while neglecting others. We can see a few suffer from “Focusing Illusion - Nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you are thinking about it.”

This song sums up altruism in simple yet effective verses.

Lyrics and Meaning of Maithreem Bhajatha

Maithreem Bhajatha Akila Hrith Jeththreem
Serve with Friendship and Humility, which will conquer the Hearts of Everyone.

Atmavat Eva Paraan Api Pashyata
Look upon others similar to yourself.

Yuddham Tyajata
Renounce War

Spardhaam Tyajata
Renounce unnecessary Competition for Power

Tyajata Pareshwa Akrama Aakramanam
Give up Aggression on others’ properties which is wrong

Jananee Prithivee Kaamadughaastey
Mother Earth is wide enough and ready to give us all we desire like a Kaamadenu

Janako Deva; Sakala Dayaalu
God, Our Father, is very Compassionate to All

Daamyata
So, Restrain yourself

Datta
So, Donate your wealth to others

Dayathvam
So, Be Kind to others

Janathaa
Oh People of the World

Shreyo Bhooyaath Sakala Janaanaam
May All People of this World be Happy and Prosperous.

References: Does Altruism exist by David Sloan Wilson, “What is altruism?” by Kendra Cherry, Maithreem Bhajata is a benediction composed in Sanskrit by Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, renowned as the Paramacharya of Kanchi and sung by Bharat Ratna M S Subbulakshmi at UN General Assemby concert in 1966.

Photo credit: @dooder - www.freepik.com