The Nature Of Altruism - GEEK ALERT!

The definition of altruism in most dictionaries is: 'disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others'.

Upon reflection this does not seem to sum it up. I would rather define altruism as: going out of your way to help others, often at personal cost, just to 'be good' and not necessarily to 'look good'.

I originally started off as a  medical scientist years ago so here is the geek alert, click off now if you wish. I am going to talk very briefly about the science of altruism.

This week I have been thinking a lot about why humans have altruistic traits. I have spent some time online today researching this very question and I have found a great deal of interesting information on the subject. It seems we still do not really know the answer to this question and it has been thought about in many different camps over the years - philosophers, scientists and sociologists. Altruism could potentially come from a mixture of our genetics, hormones and factors such as family and societal influence. In one of my posts last week I touched on the familial example I had had when I was a young girl growing up. For me this was a huge influence and perhaps it is within my genetic history.

Does being altruistic truly come from our genetic history? A study was completed to test this hypothesis using a bunch of chimps in a sanctuary in Uganda. Scientists were interested in finding out whether altruism could have a genetic basis. Basically, the study found that the chimps they tested would go out of their way to help a struggling stranger to reach a stick and would often have to climb quite a distance out of their way. Another study was then conducted with 18 month old babies and the result was similar. A researcher was tasked with putting washing on a washing line with the toddler in close proximity and deliberately dropped pegs on the ground. The majority of the toddlers picked up the peg and handed it back to the researcher. Interestingly, they only did this when they felt the researcher wasn't dropping them deliberately. So is altruism an innate trait and is it useful to us in some way? Potentially, is 'being' good a way of ensuring we survive and pass our genes onto the next generation? If we practice altruism as a species does this collective good help to ensure survival? All interesting questions.

Although altruism could be an innate trait, according the Mental Health Foundation in their report Doing Good, a large percentage of people believe that society is becoming more selfish and materialistic. They conducted a poll around the country asking a number of questions on this subject and asked people about being kind to strangers. It was found 67% of the poll thought people were less likely to be kind to strangers than ten years ago. I think if I had been involved in this poll I would have been with the 67%. It has been my perception, that society in general has become less kind, and more indifferent to the suffering of others.This to me seems to be a sad state of affairs and makes me wonder whether the innate trait of altruism is somehow 'worked out of us'  due to environmental factors and societal stress and the overriding desire to be materialistic and of a superior status to others. However, on the opposite side of things humans have been known to join together in states of emergencies such as natural disasters; I think the nature of altruism is a complex one.

So why become more altruistic? Well as you might have already read in one of my earlier posts I want to see the world become a more open, connected, less materialistic and  kinder place and I feel that I need to challenge myself to be that way first. I have been reading that altruism is good for us in many ways too. A large amount of research has been conducted into the health benefits of being altruistic. Some of the health benefits include: extended life expectancy, an increase in positive mood, a decrease in blood pressure, an increased sense of well- being and a decrease in levels of stress. So 'being kind' is the way forward not only to creating a better society but helping us live longer and have a better life generally.

I just wanted to give you a brief introduction into some of the research that has been conducted into the subject as it is very compelling (looking into this would take some time so this is just an introduction). I have listed a number of studies that I have read about below:

• Study 1 found that older people who volunteered compared to those that did not had a stronger desire to live and experienced less anxiety and depression.

• Study 2 showed that multiple sclerosis suffers who supported fellow sufferers in the form of monthly telephone calls were feeling the benefit themselves and displayed less symptoms of depression. This explains that when someone goes out of their way for another, they reap health benefits themselves.

• Study 3 found that people with high levels of anxiety were given 'kind' tasks to do six times a week or more showed an increase in positive mood. This is amazing; 'being kind' makes us feel less down.

• Study 4 found that when a group of elderly people in a care home were given plants to look after they became more alert, got actively involved and generally had an increased sense of well-being compared to another group of elderly people in the same care home who had someone else looking after the plant they were given.

• Study 5 conducted Functional MRI scans (brain scans) when participants engaged in donating money to their 'cause' and found that a certain area of the brain becomes activated when we are 'kind'. The area that is activated is involved in reward pathways which could explain why we feel good after being 'kind'.

• Study 6 involved showing a film of Mother Teresa's work to a group of people. The study found that those watching the film had an increased amount of protective antibodies in their blood compared to another group who watched a neutral film.

• Study 7  found that if we help others and then go through stressful situations, the helping we have done seems to be a protective factor against the destructive influence stress has on our bodies; this therefore leads to a greater life expectancy.

• Study 8 examined and reviewed short essays written by nuns in the 1930's and looked at the age of their death. It was found that the nuns who expressed the most positive emotions in their essays lived longer.

• Also it is known that doing 'kind' acts releases a chemical called Oxytocin which then leads to the release of Nitric Oxide which has the effect of relaxing your blood vessels which in turn leads to a decrease in blood pressure.

So the message seems to be: whatever the reason for us being altruistic it has proven health benefits. Therefore, for me that is all the more reason to extend 'being kind' beyond the 'year of kindness'.

'Being kind' does not have to come at great cost to us; in fact 'being too kind' can almost be detrimental to us. As we live our lives there are many ways to 'be kind' such as: encouraging others, praising others, complimenting others, smiling, being positive, not complaining, donating time, donating clothes, giving our seat up on the bus, letting people out of junctions, treating others, spending time with others and so many more.