The widespread message arising from Andari et al. (in press) is that the hormone oxytocin "may be a powerful weapon in fighting autism" or words to that effect. The heart of this study is a computer game version of catch which appears to involve four human players. When a player is thrown the ball, he must then throw it to another player of his choice. Every time a player receives the ball, he re
12 Vote(s)
February 18, 2010
Oxytocin versus autism: A cure for altruism
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February 7, 2010
Watching Others Do Good, Clean Scents Promote Altruism
What would you say if I told you that simply observing people thanking others induced more altruism? The simple act of watching someone else do something uplifting or a good deed motivates us to also do good. At least that’s what researchers found in a recent demonstration of this effect at the University of Plymouth.In two experiments, researchers (Schnall et al., 2010) tested the level of
15 Vote(s)
15 Vote(s)
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February 6, 2010
The Power of Kindness
Research says that witnessing simple acts of everyday kindness, such as one person giving up a seat on the bus, holding a door open for another, or helping someone pick something that dropped to the floor can promote altruism.... Landis, S., Sherman, M., Piedmont, R., Kirkhart, M., Rapp, E., & Bike, D. (2009) The relation between elevation and self-reported prosocial behavior: Incremental
16 Vote(s)
16 Vote(s)
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November 5, 2009
How to increase altruism in toddlers
Surely one of the most charming sights is of an adult struggling to reach an object, only for a toddler to pick up that object and hand it to the adult, as research has shown they so often will. Psychologists think such ingrained altruism has evolved as a consequence of our species' dependence on group living for survival. Supporting this account, Harriet Over and Malinda Carpenter have shown tha
20 Vote(s)
20 Vote(s)
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October 14, 2009
Chimpanzees Help Each Other On Request But Not Voluntarily
The evolution of altruism has long puzzled researchers and has mainly been explained previously from ultimate perspectives. However, a new study shows that chimpanzees altruistically help conspecifics, even in the absence of direct personal gain or immediate reciprocation, although the chimpanzees were much more likely to help each other upon request than voluntarily.
6 Vote(s)
6 Vote(s)
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September 23, 2009
Does rewarding altruism squelch it?
Imagine your neighbor has a dog that regularly escapes her yard. One day you see the dog escape and return it to her. She thanks you by giving you a piece of delicious home-made apple pie. This happens several days in a row. Then one day when you return the dog, there's no pie, no thanks, and no explanation. Would you return the dog the next time it escapes?You might be disinclined. But what if t
11 Vote(s)
11 Vote(s)
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September 4, 2009
In Infants As Young As 18 Months, Priming Affiliation Increases Helping Behavior
Most of us are willing to help a neighbor in need, but there's no question that we pay a price for our altruism. Not necessarily in money, but in valuable time and energy, and with no promise of payback.
11 Vote(s)
11 Vote(s)
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July 17, 2009
Adoption in Non-Human Primates
How genes for altruism can benefit strangers as well as kinThe generosity of adoption has long been considered a unique human hallmark.Image: Shadows of Forgotten AncestorsFor decades it was conventional dogma that humans were the only species that used tools. "Man the Toolmaker" was our celebrated designation. The hominin fossil Homo habilis (or "handy" man) was even defined within our genera
15 Vote(s)
15 Vote(s)
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