Many people ask: " What is altruism?". A truly altruistic act should not be motivated by a desire to receive some personal benefit, whether in the short or long term. This cannot be a desire to boast or receive a token of gratitude. Fear of being criticized for not helping others should also not motivate for altruism.
Altruism: the origin of the term
Altruism is when we act for the good of other people, even putting ourselves at risk. The philosopher Auguste Comte coined the word in 1851. It meant self-sacrifice for the benefit of others. A few years later, the word entered many languages. Many people think that people are mainly interested in their well-being.
Studies show otherwise:
- the first impulse of people is cooperation, not competition;
- babies spontaneously help people in need;
- even nonhuman primates exhibit altruism.
This phenomenon has deep roots. Help and cooperation contribute to survival. Darwin himself claimed that altruism, which he called sympathy, or benevolence, was "an integral part of social instincts." His statement is confirmed by the fact that when people behave altruistically, their brain activates in areas that convey pleasure, similar to when they eat chocolate. This does not mean that people are more altruistic than selfish. A person has deep-rooted tendencies to act in any direction. The task of society is to find ways to apply the best qualities that are given by nature.
Synonyms and Antonyms
Altruists prefer to share their well-being with others, so they are happy when others flourish. We will try to better understand what altruism is. What does that require? It is worth familiarizing yourself with words with a similar meaning.
Synonyms of altruism:
- self-sacrifice;
- compassion;
- generosity;
- friendliness;
- humanity;
- benevolence;
- kindness;
- sympathy;
- mercy;
- condescension;
- generosity;
- kindness;
- good deed.
Antonyms of altruism:
- meanness;
- greed;
- egocentrism;
- greed;
- cruelty;
- narcissism;
- vanity;
- selfishness.
Altruism is its own reward. Positive relationships with other people have always been a more natural norm of behavior than the illusion of money or power over others. It is important to understand altruism correctly. The meaning of the word is not all people interpret correctly.
Does it really exist?
He puzzles evolutionary biologists who wonder why anyone can help anyone to their own detriment. Selfless behavior cannot be stable, because this often leads to a person becoming more vulnerable. Social psychologists also take a more cynical position, believing that mutual assistance is motivated by the need to relieve their own stress. This is similar to selfishness: the tendency to value things only within the limits of personal interests.
The numbers don't lie
But how can one explain the wonderful acts of kindness and selflessness that are performed for the good of others? In 2012, 228.93 billion dollars of charitable donations by private individuals were allocated in the United States (National Center for Charitable Statistics, 2012). People not only give money, but also spend their time. There are currently hundreds of millions of volunteers helping others. There are innumerable acts of kindness and generosity, they occur daily.
Altruism or magic?
The practice of altruism enhances personal well-being - emotionally, physically, and possibly even financially.
The positive effects of altruism:
- Altruism makes people happy: people feel more cheerful by doing good for an outsider. Charity activates areas of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection and trust. This is a good incentive to be kinder.
- Altruism helps you stay healthy. Volunteers, as a rule, are physically stronger, less likely to have depression. Older people who regularly help friends or relatives have a significantly lower chance of dying soon. Researcher Stephen Post reports that altruism even improves the health of people with chronic illnesses such as HIV and multiple sclerosis.
- Altruists can receive unexpected financial benefits from their kindness because others will reward them for their help. Animals that collaborate with each other are more productive and survive better.
- Altruism promotes social connections. When people do good to others, they feel closer to them, just like the other side.
- Altruism is good for education. When students participate in “collaborative learning,” where they must work together to complete a project, they are more likely to have positive relationships with each other and improve psychological health. Adolescents who voluntarily help young children can lower their risk factors for heart disease.
Altruism is “contagious,” because it encourages people to be generous. It is also important for a stable and strong society, for the well-being of the human species as a whole. Everyone should understand what altruism is and how it can help him.
What makes a person altruistic?
Altruism may well be somewhat inherited, as it is a character trait. Nevertheless, empathy, which makes one act this way, plays a major role. In addition to empathy and heredity, the presence of a prosocial personality, an advanced level of moral development also contribute to altruism. This suggests that altruism is not necessarily a stable trait of character, since the current mood can also play a role. It has been found that people in a better mood are more willing to help others. This may be due to the fact that they are less likely to stop and think about the situation before deciding on cooperation. Altruism is present in any culture; without it, the successful existence of a nation is impossible.
Can everyone become altruists?
Altruism is established from the first year of life, when children show mutual assistance and cooperation, which they are not taught. However, around the age of five, social relations take effect. Since future goodwill and prosocial behavior can be predicted in childhood and adolescence, parents may wish to develop high moral standards, have clear rules, and expect their children to help others. Empathy can be brought up in children, making them think about the impact of their behavior. Every child needs to explain in childhood what altruism is. Even adults are never too late to become more altruistic. Ultimately, it is our own choice. As Martin Luther King once said: “Each person must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive egoism.”
Dolphin Altruism Examples
Note. On the example of animals, you can also consider what altruism is. They, like people, exhibit this quality. The most striking example of altruism in animals is dolphins that help people. In 2008, one of them came to the aid of two whales in New Zealand and brought them to safe waters. Without dolphins, they would surely have died. In another case, in New Zealand, a group of swimmers was surprised that dolphins began to circle around them more and more ... Initially, swimmers thought they were aggressive, but it turned out that dolphins drive sharks away like that.
In birds and insects
The word "altruism" is also familiar to birds and insects. For example, you can recall the cuckoo. She lays an egg in a bird's nest of another species with similar eggs. Then the new mistress takes care of the foundling, as if it were her true offspring. There is an opinion that this happens because other birds cannot distinguish other people's eggs. Cuckoos periodically return to the nests, where they left a foundling to see if everything is fine. If their future chicks are still there, they leave the nests untouched. If not, the cuckoos destroy them along with the eggs. So taking care of the offspring of a cuckoo may simply be a means for the host bird to protect its offspring. Bees use a sting against enemies if they believe the hive is in danger. After making a bite, the bee dies. This is an example of altruistic behavior in social colonies.
In people
Most people have a touch of altruism. Examples are parents who give up their well-being for the sake of a child, or soldiers who risk their lives for other people. Some psychologists even claim that the altruistic tendency is built into people naturally. Most examples of altruism are related. Although people do help strangers, they are more likely to give money to relatives. In addition, adopted children, on average, receive a smaller share of inheritances than biological heirs.
To understand what altruism means, just look around. Everyday life is filled with small acts of charity and mutual assistance, from the guy at the grocery store, who kindly keeps the door open, to the person who gives a donation to the beggar. In the news, you can see more grandiose examples of altruism. For example, a man who dives into an ice river to save a drowning stranger, or a generous philanthropist who donates thousands of dollars to charity.
What inspires altruists?
Altruism is one example of what psychologists call prosocial behavior. These are any actions that benefit other people, no matter what motive, or which recipient benefits from the action. But pure altruism involves true selflessness. Altruists may be inspired by biological causes. They commit altruistic deeds to help procreate. Social norms and rules that call for help from others can appeal to charity. Some people are pushed towards altruism by outsiders sympathy. The opinions of psychologists about the presence of pure altruism differ. Some of them believe that it exists, while others argue that any sacrifice is based on the desire to help yourself.