Who does altruism serve?
The idea that we gain from helping others existed long before we could witness how the brain functions. Researchers pointed out that the sense of self-satisfaction we receive from helping another, along with the idea that we “bank” favors by helping others is evidence that humans are selfish. In a sense, we’ve confused long-term selfish acts for altruism [source: Gintis, et al]. Over time, different competing explanations for altruism have taken shape. It became clear that human generosity may be context-specific. There also may be more than one type. Reciprocal altruism, where we give under the assumption that we’ll receive in return, is different from kin selection, where our altruism favors our relatives over strangers. What is sure is that altruism is a motivator, just like our emotions, our sense of curiosity, and any behaviors that our brains can activate, reward or punish. If we believe that altruism is a motivator, we still arrive back at the same question: What purpose does it
