New research suggests that we don't perform acts of altruism because it feels good but rather because we recognize that other people's actions and place in the world is meaningful. It's something like a Golden Rule model that has evolved based on "the simple recognition that that thing over there is a person that has intentions and goals," says Duke University Medical Center psychologist Scott Huettel. "And therefore, I might want to treat them like I might want them to treat myself."
The researchers ran fMRI brain scans on study participants as they either played a certain video game or watched as the computer played the game. Playing well resulted in donations to a charity that the participant had selected. Meanwhile, the researchers used the fMRI to identify which region of the brain lit up. Turns out that the brain's reward center isn't the hotspot for altruism as previously suspected. From a Duke University press release:
The scans revealed that a region of the brain called the posterior superior temporal sulcus was activated to a greater degree when people perceived an action — that is, when they watched the computer play the game — than when they acted themselves, Tankersley said. This region, which lies in the top and back portion of the brain, is generally activated when the mind is trying to figure out social relationships.
The researchers then characterized the participants as more or less altruistic, based on their responses to questions about how often they engaged in different helping behaviors, and compared the participants' brain scans with their estimated level of altruistic behavior. The fMRI scans showed that increased activity in the posterior superior temporal sulcus strongly predicted a person's likelihood for altruistic behavior.
According to the researchers, the results suggest that altruistic behavior may originate from how people view the world rather than how they act in it.
"We believe that the ability to perceive other people's actions as meaningful is critical for altruism," Tankersley said.
Link to press release, Link to HealthDay article, Link to abstract in Nature Neuroscience
Previously on BB:
• Humans are generous if watched, even by photo of robot Link
• Monkeys think about who's watching before they steal Link
• Best history podcast — BBC's "In Our Time" (Dawkins on altruism) Link
