The Evolutionary Benefits of Altruism

Dacher Keltner, UC Berkeley

Beyond Happiness: Jen Science and the Good Life

Dacher Keltner University of California, Berkeley

keltner@berkeley.edu www.greatergoodscience.org

The Bad is Stronger than The Good? •  Negative

Contamination

•  Self-Interest as Default?

•  Altruism = selfish genes or Freudian Fantasy

•  Attachment and Anxiety

Well Placed Cynics

“ The very emphasis of the commandment: Thou shalt not kill, makes it certain that we are descended from an endlessly long chain of generations of murderers, whose love of murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also in ours.” — Sigmund Freud

“ If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject. ” — Ayn Rand

Well Placed Cynics “ Of mankind we may say in general they are

fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.” — Machiavelli

“ The natural world is “grossly immoral”. Natural selection “can honestly be described as a process for maximizing short sighted selfishness” — George Williams

“ Sympathy as a good natured emotion is always blind and weak. ” — Immanuel Kant

Positive Emotions as Second Class Citizens •  Negative more

numerous

•  Negative greater hedonic impact

•  Positive byproduct of negative

•  Negative biological, evolved

Darwin’s Joys Admiration eyes opened, eyebrows raised, eyes bright, smile,

Affirmation nod head, open eyes widely

Astonishment eyes open, mouth open, eyebrows raised, hands placed over mouth

Contemplation frown, wrinkle skin under lower eyelids, eyes divergent, head droops, hands to forehead, mouth, or chin, thumb/index finger to lip

Determination firmly closed mouth, arms folded across breast, shoulders raised

Devotion face upwards, eyelids upturned, fainting, pupils upwards and inwards, humbling kneeling posture, hands upturned

Happiness eyes sparkle, skin under eyes wrinkled, mouth drawn back at corners

High Spirits zygomatic, body erect, head upright, eyes open, frontal muscles,

Cheerfulness (AU 1 + 2), eyelids raised, nostrils raised, eating gestures (rubbing belly), air suck, lip smacks,

Laughter tears, deep inspiration, contraction of chest, shaking of body, head nods to and fro, lower jaw quivers up/down, lip corners drawn backwards, head thrown backward, shakes, head face red, orbicularis, lip press/bite

Darwin’s Joys Love beaming eyes, smiling cheeks (when seeing old friend), touch,

gentle smile, protruding lips (in chimps), kissing, nose rubs,

Maternal Love touch, gentle smile, tender eyes

Romantic Love breathing hurried, faces flush

Joy muscle tremble, purposeless movements, laughter, clapping hands, jumping, dancing about, stamping, chuckle/giggle, zygomatic, orbicularis, upper lip raised, naso labial fold formed

Pride head, body erect, look down on others,

Tender (sympathy) tears

The Distal Evolution of Pro-Sociality Care-taking

Vulnerable offspring

Flattened Hierarchies Affordance rather than coercion

Conflict and Reconciliation Reconciliation rather than territory

Fragile Monogamy Pairbonding, paternal care

The Positive Emotions Resources

Enthusiasm Approach Goal Contentment Satiation

Social Relations Love Attachment Desire Reproduction Compassion Nurturance Pride Elevated Status Gratitude Reciprocity/Friendship Awe Leaders

Distress Reduction Relief

Knowledge Interest Learning Amusement Transformation/Insight

Oxytocin and Trust

•  Functions of Oxytocin

•  Faithful and frisky voles

•  The Neuroeconomics of Trust

Varieties of Smiles

Affiliation Cues Sexual Cues

Contr. for Sexual Cues

Contr. for Affiliation Cues

Oxytocin Reactivity .50** .11

Oxytocin Recovery .15 .12

Functions of Touch

•  Reward

•  Reinforce Reciprocity

•  Signal Safety

•  Soothe

Touch and the spread of goodness

Epoch change in RSA

Self-reported compassion .33*

Self reported pride -.30*

Self-other similarity .29*

Time 5: 6 months later Resting Vagal Tone: Time 1

Extraversion .40** Agreeableness .32* PANAS Positive Affect .40** PANAS Negative Affect .05 Optimism .30* Pessimism -.21* Health -.21* Spiritual Transformation .26*

Wired For Good Care to survive

Coordination

Flattened Hierarchies

Reconciled Conflict

Fragile Monogamy

ENS

Ethical Nervous System

OFC

Vagus Nerve

Oxytocin

Touch, voice, face

The American Paradox

“ A Person of Humanity, wishing to establish his own character, also establishes the character of others.” — Confucius

“ The great secret of morals is love, or a going out of our own nature, and an identification of ourselves with the beautiful which exists in thought, action or person, not our own. A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of another and of many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own. The great instrument of moral good is the imagination.” — Shelley

Designed to be Kind “ At the most fundamental level our nature is compassionate,

and that cooperation, not conflict, lies at the heart of the basic principles that govern our human existence.” — His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

“ …the social instincts lead an animal to take pleasure in the society of his fellows, to feel a certain amount of sympathy with them, and to perform various services for them… the greater strength of the social or maternal instincts than that of any other instinct or motive; for they are performed too instantaneously for reflection, or for pleasure or even misery might be felt. In a timid man, on the other hand, the instinct of self-preservation might be so strong…” — Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man

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