Recently, as tends to happen, I got into a bit of a philosophical debate with some friends about the nature of altruism. 
With collective academic backgrounds in history, English, psychology, philosophy and the contemporary arts, you can probably imagine how lively the conversation became. In addition to the fascinating ideas and theories about the biopsychosocial underpinnings of altruism that were thrown around, the significance of this evolved trait to the challenges faced within the global community today became quite the hot topic. Having survived the conversation with friendships (barely) salvaged and pints (generously) downed, I’d like to share our collective musings on the importance of this biological trait on our collective wellbeing.
Altruism, defined by social psychologists as ‘selfless behaviour conducted on behalf of others without regard for one’s own self-interest’, has been debated throughout the years, with theories from a multitude of disciplines being proposed. Some theorists suggest altruism may have evolved as long as six million years ago in the common ancestor of chimps and humans. If you ask prominent evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, author of The Selfish Gene, he’d contend that altruism can be explained at the individual level of the gene: when someone sacrifices their own life to protect the lives of their kin, they’re instinctually acting in the interest of their own genes, as the genes will live on in their kin. Indeed, most recorded examples of self-sacrificing behaviour involve giving aid to blood relatives, on a sliding scale that decreases as the degree of genes shared decreases. Bees will sacrifice their lives when they sting to protect the hive. Birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk. Bats will regurgitate blood to fellow bats who haven’t fed (amazing, I know). Humans will run into a burning building to save the life of their child.
Us humans could learn a lesson from bees ... if only they weren't on the path to extinction
More recent studies since Dawkins’ seminal work in the 70’s also support a biological explanation for altruism, with fMRI brain scans pinpointing increased areas of activity in certain brain areas (the posterior superior temporal sulcus, obviously) when engaged in altruistic acts. The midbrain, a region deep in the brain that is known to be involved in primal desires (such as food and sex) and the satisfaction of them, has been been shown to have heightened activity when study participants donated to a charity. A recent study released earlier this year by researchers from the University of Toronto explored the concept of altruism in relation to the purchase of green products. The study showed that participants acted more altruistically after mere exposure to green products compared to conventional ones, but less altruistically after purchasing green products as opposed to conventional ones. This study seems to suggest that we each have, in general, a finite amount of altruistic behaviour. Whatever the case may be, the underpinnings of altruism appear to be biological, with the degree to which your altruism develops being somewhat dependant on familial and cultural values and teachings.
Today, we are faced with environmental, economic, and warfare challenges on a global scale that will require tremendous amounts of altruism and empathy for us to overcome. We will all need to be altruistic to varying degrees in order to decrease our carbon footprint, and create a more equitable and stable economic and political climate. This could mean driving less, eating less meat, volunteering more, or focusing less on material possessions. As stated by Dawkins, “Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish”. With the steep slope of challenges that lay before us in creating a healthy and equitable world, we need to foster and encourage altruism in ourselves, our children, and our communities.
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Masthead photo courtesy of Todd Huffman