Why some people are more altruistic than others | Abigail Marsh 

Imagine if everyone was altruistic. Do you really think a society full of somewhat selfish people, is better than one full of altruistic people?

MidEnginedSedan Neither of those will ever happen. Even if you started with all altruists, it only takes one psycho to wreck everything. The world is a big mush of varying grays; we should aim to best thrive in that reality.

ouch! what if your understanding of the topic is flawed? no where is there any statement that indicates renunciation of self beyond the act of altruism. placing one's self in harm's way for other does not require anything but focus, from the "flash" hero (like the freeway savior) to the Mother Teresa constantly on. Constantly on would by necessity have adjustments to the other interdependent cognitive processes. Dr. Marsh is not speaking to the Unified Field Theory of Neuro Behavioral Sciences because there isn't any. Stop looking for that cricket in the night. you are out in the weeds.

Teresa Boze If my understanding is flawed, then please explain what she meant when she removed the center dot in the diagram of circles.

Exactly. If they value every single person the same way, they won't be able to realize when they are being altruistic to the cost of their family or friends, and when they do, they won't be able to see the problem with that. You can risk your life for a stranger, but with that, it might happen that your children grow up without a father. I don't think it's right.

Elias Kinnunen uhhh🙄so you're just suicidal?

Elias Kinnunen​ ah! I was just kidding. I get what you mean. Im kinda way too young to admit this and my life is semi ok but ive never been all gong ho about life even when i was little i see no point in working yourself ragged to get the perfect job,a house,get married have kids,send kids to college,marry them off then die? I get told that this is the sequence of life for a lot of people and that i should strive for this kind of "life" but it all seems so tiresome. Is this really the cycle of a normal humans life?

Elias Kinnunen ugh😑 I was having an emo moment over here and you just killed it.Thanks a lot😧

Elias Kinnunen 😑umm thank you? Dont take this the wrong way but that phrase i hate it. Dont ask why i hate its. Its just everytime i hear it makes me wanna throw myself off a cliff.

Elias Kinnunen Oh! Your not even going to resist? What a boring person.

@Firelord Eliteast67 I hunt lions.

@@laitarianplayz8080 Please hunt Firelord Eliteast67 he seems to be psychopathic

Psychopaths

Those types are Evil and there are many

Maybe a lot of people don't know the word _altruism,_ let alone its meaning.

@Angela Chen I think in this case you can ignore one or two little 'guess what I did'-s. People sharing it on Facebook and Insta and filming themselves, that think about the camera-angle while giving CPR, those are the ones you mean. I've done some stuff to feel better about myself without telling anyone, but then someone found out and I told my parents and that person ánd someone else, because I just felt I had too. The rest of the 200+ people positively influenced by the charities never knew who it came from or who I am etc. I even gave to people I actively disliked, because they hated me and bullied me. And they don't know who the 'kind stranger' is, that gave them the gifts.

Sadly, some would not do so

I agree one of my best friends is from Haiti and she's one of the kindest people I've ever met

Interesting. This is the first time I have heard someone who would have preferred to be altruistic and kinder.

honestly the way i see it, the more you practice empathy and seeing the world through a positive lens, the more likely u are to become altruistic. be the change you want to see in the world. for me, i find it rlly difficult to be kind and to feel taken advantage of for that. seeing ppl be kind reminds me of who i am and who i want to be

@@erinmiller1559 I agree. I am sure it is something we can all foster. If someone was a diagnosed psychopath, they could be an altruistic person too albeit harder i suppose. Maybe out of sympathy. Or really strong logical moral value to 'do the right thing', since they cant be driven by empathy (if im not mistaken). If something can happen later on in life and change someone dramatically, it doesnt seem to far fetch to believe it is the same case for altruism. People can change. It's not too late. We should absolutely think of being kind and altruistic and something we can all choose to be everyday!

So you thought it was about you, but instead you found out it was about others.

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I don't want to rewatch the video but I'm pretty sure she was talking about a correlation and not a causation. As any descent scientist would.

Oh? I'll look into her work.

Can you clarify what you meant, please?

okay. She showed, clearly, that these super altruistic people have bigger amygdalas than normal people, and this is correlated to psychopathy and obviously altruism. so that's her point. Why does she then go into this bullshit about center and outer circles of compassion? Theres no real evidence for that, just interviews where the altruistic people say they're normal. but they're not normal they have bigger amygdalas. which is the real reason for the altruism. not some bullshit about circles

+Jake C Well you can train your brain to become more altruistic, more compassionate.

thanks for summing it up. I was afraid it was some physiological builshit and I am glad I won't have to watch it anymore

She was just talking about how altruists view themselves and their actions; pay attention; she wasn't presenting that as part of the facts about what actually influences them.

Ok bigshot, then go donate some blood marrow.

*You’ll probably be able to 3D-print a kidney soon.*

(Super late, but ..) That’s true, but your body can function just fine with one kidney, like it can after donating blood, bone marrow, etc. There have obviously been significant medical advances that have made it possible/easier on the donator to donate those things to others, but it also took a level of empathy and compassion on the parts of people who made those developments to help others.

It's an interesting study and a great book. Easy read with powerful information.

Because a bunch of anti-social people seem to dislike the fact that she expanded the topic to the social level (you know, the level that involves all human interaction and is extremely important).

I disliked the video because it's built on the assumption that Materialism is true. Assumption is not grounds for scientific facts.

+Matthew Shezmen Be unbaffled. Baffled is a state of confusion. If you cannot perceive why another would be confused, you are acting from a self-centered place, not a centered-self place.

+Obvious ninja you are over reaching. black and white thinking. them/us. how can people openly stating they do not understand become labeled "anti-social" in your perspective?

+MidEnginedSedan Can you provide the basis for your position that the video has a premise that "Materialism is true" from material from the video, please?

***** nope

Lilou ou Many Americans have a serious aversion to any form of helping hand in their society. It's a true dog-eat-dog world they live in, a land ruled by business. They are blind as to why that's wrong and will even argue to keep it the same. Sad place.

Same, here. My mom was a nurse and my dad a cop (mid-1950s to mid-'80s), so good values and helping others were engrained in me and my siblings. I learned basic first aid from my mom, and later Girl Scouts - and have been certified in first aid for a number of years (I'm 62). I learned self-defence moves from my dad, as well as how he'd helped people in distress by being calm. I also took Wen-do and Krav Maga, for personal protection. Once, on a highway, my folks came across a car crash, so my dad directed traffic around the cars, while my mom adminstered first aid to the injured, until police/ambulance arrived (this was _before_ cellphones). That sunk in. I had good role models, and I happen to be a sensitive and empathetic person, so I tend to be the first (and sometimes only) one to act when someone is in trouble, and have put my _first aid skills_ - and new-ish _conflict resolution_ and _active listening skills_ to use in challenging situations. I live in a big city in Canada, and have been a year-round cyclist for 30+ years, so I've been able to help cyclists who've been hit or cut off by cars and crashed, or wiped out on streetcar tracks, as well as pedestrians who've been injured, or collapsed from heat. I've also been on first aid crews and been a "ranger" at huge, themed camping trips, roaming the site and keeping an eye out for potential dangers. I've been a blood and plasma donor for 30 years. As they say, "It's in you to give." I would donate a kidney or part of my liver to a family member or close friend, though am unsure if I would for a stranger - I'd have to weigh the risks. I've seen outreach for donors in the news and checked if my blood type matched (it didn't). I've broken up fights and domestic disputes (I'm a woman) with my words, except for the time I stepped off a streetcar and into a fight between 2 women. I had a broken ankle in a cast and used my voice, telling them to stop, while prying them apart with my cane - as others just stood around and watched. They stopped and I continued home. Whenever I've helped someone using my wits, knowledge and calm, focused state of mind in an emergency, I later reflect upon my late parents with gratitude for their lessons in humanity and being of service to others.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that kind strangers have helped me when I've crashed my bike over the past 30-odd years (sustaining head and other injuries) - one was a nurse, another was a doctor, most others were average people like me - other cyclists, pedestrians or drivers (not the ones who caused them). I've also occasionally become emotionally distraught (due to PTSD & other mental health issues), weeping in public, and people have checked in with me, which helped me collect myself. I'm *grateful* for their *_compassion_* and *_willingness_* to assist me.

It may be responsible for acts of altruism but it isn't responsible for who is altruistic

@@benroddick9763 Irrelevant. Even the extreme pit of human dysfunction can be peer-pressured into being altruistic given the means of 'committing' altruism. People are only as good as their society allows them to be.

Responsible for Volunteerism overall.

@@benroddick9763 Volunteerism more so, I think was the point.

Remember when you watched this

Sounds like room for further research

In order to be truly altruistic you would have to be a sociopath or a phsychopath who feels no empathy. This seems highly unlikely to ever happen.

@@samisouth society is diseased so most people following trends and looking for social media approval from strangers are Sociopathic

As the French say: "The ends, touch."

Im so sorry you had to go through it. It must have been traumatizing to watch and not be able to do anything. I hope the kid is at peace now wherever he is. And I hope you can heal from all your ex has put you through.

@@Aethelhadas thank you so much, it’s been four years since the relationship ended and I heal more and more each day. And I think about that boy who died and his family all the time. It was definitely traumatizing and it haunted me but I’m happy I could be with him so he didn’t have to die all by himself. I feel honored that life put me there with him at that time. Thank you so much for your kind comment

Jeffrey Ong Those are some good questions

Bravery: doing something even thought you are afraid, not doing it because you do not feel fear.

Yes Jeffrey, excellent questions. I'm not a neuroscientist, but I have tried to be a non-directed kidney donor - 3 times, rejected each time by a medical establishment that abhors the idea - so perhaps I can shed some light, at least on question #3. I still have the fear of dying with two healthy kidneys, knowing that one of them could have saved someone else's life. In my life, this fear is far greater than my fear of dying from the donation, which is about 3 of every 10,000. Indeed, I often tell people that the actual death rate is 100% and since I'm definitely going to die, dying while saving others is my preferred choice. Now, I don't have a death wish and don't wish to die today, or anytime in the near future. But death is assured and I don't fear it.

What would be the connection then? Why would you have that moral principle if you felt nothing towards animal suffering?

@@nvmffs good question. It implies that moral principles only make sense if they are based on what the person feels. I personally dont agree with that, but it is still a valid moral guideline if you agree. But it creates problems because you see anyone could justify anything they want, and that for sure is not optimal.

You explain your thoughts really well, and I see your thought process here. You have a hankering that life might be meaningless and you also are a human with natural tendencies and desire for fulfillment and relationship. Here is my response: Meaning is inherent in our world and in our humanity. Even if we do not feel it, it is there. We often are not in touch with it due to dissatisfaction with things of the world such as politics, our own difficulties and personal battles and the stark injustice around the world. So naturally we decide that if things are as bad as they, they have no meaning. As I said, this is a normal conclusion to draw, but not true. If the world had no meaning, then there would not be reality, not any prospect of good or evil, yet all three of those concepts are in effect. Leftist politics and creating your own reality will not fulfilling the void of meaninglessness that we all struggle with. What fills it is perfect love. Perfect love comes from Jesus. He will give you not your human desires but a higher destiny full of meaning and purpose. Our meaning and purpose as people is to worship God, our maker. But our sin nature separated us from life with God, so we struggle generation to generation. But God will redeem us, and He is with us through the dark valleys of life~

@@xariah2546 Jesus was a Socialist. The New Testament is full of left-wing sentiments. In contrast, the Satanic Bible sounds like it was written by Ayn Rand.

Do you do it more so cause that's how you derive your self worth and importance?

It's not something you will learn on a Ted show...

sure you can learn it here or at least they have started to come up with the answer here.

The answer is in the pathological part of the equation.

While I see that you probably mean compulsively altruistic, I really feel like pathological is a poor choice of words, seeing as there is no mental disease associated with altruism.

Tristen Huffman i kinda agree, but i didn't invent the term. If you check the use of words for Compulsive/pathological liars the 2 terms seem interchangeable. There is no mental disease associated because its a relatively new phenomena

I want to know too

Wow! In the short comment of just 20 words you managed to praise yourself 4 times. You are obviously the center of your world and not the extreme altruist that she is speaking about. I’m not doubting that you’re a good person but we all need to think about others instead of ourselves. God bless us all! . . . .

@@3RDNBZYes I do agree with you that we should help others who are in need of help or want help, but honestly I don't really view myself as the center of the world. I do think of others and try to help out with whatever I can. I wasn't trying to come across as praising myself, wasn't trying to do that just telling. Don't really care much about myself, but I do care for others. Not everything is about me and I'm fine with that. Don't love myself nor see myself as the center of the universe. I'm not that kind of person at all.

Langley Gaming -Well that’s good to hear and it does sound like you’re a conscientious and caring person. God bless you and your family. By the way, do you know what ALTRUISM means to me? . . . . A*Loving*Thoughtful*Renaissance*United*In*Saving*Mankind.

@@3RDNBZ Thank you and same with you and others too! I do know what altruism means.

@@jam5533 You are same with me

That could be more of a focus on perceived altruism instead of actually being altruistic. He wanted others to look up to him. He didn't have to pretend with his family.

I wonder if your family was missing from his circle of compassion. Maybe this family relationship needs work.. Work that's not happening?

Maybe his "altruism" was based upon a poor self image and he perceived his family as an extension of himself and therefore unworthy.

This!!! I wanted to point this because my mother suffers from my father's readiness to help others and I fear my wife will (actually is) be suffering from mine. The worst is in business I don't have that "drive for money" at all

i agree my friend

True

if you think in a gene point of view if you to much selfish you cant socialize so no reproduce if you are to altruistic also no reproducion so i can agree at some degree

hmm maybe if they did it to detriment of themselves

Mmmm, I'm very ultraistic I have a self worth, I just don't see myself as special- I'm the same as you or anyone else. As to the mental illness mmm maybe- disclosure I do have anxiety and depression but, I find that if don't help in the capacity I can, I feel so uneasy, depending on the situation I feel like I slacked on my duty to society. I have put myself in dangerous situation but it would depend on what you call dangerous , I've gotten gas for someone stranded on a highway (I'm a girl, so someone might say that's dangerous... But it was daylight) but over all I do not let ppl walk all over me, I'm not a push over. I do not think ultraistic means push over. There's a difference.

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Experience.

Oh, like literally you

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