What Is Altruism? Psychology Behind Altruistic Behavior

Helping others when it doesn't benefit you or causes a detriment to you in some way is defined as an act of altruism. Generosity, kindness, volunteering, compassion, and philanthropy can all be viewed as types of altruism. Although altruism often happens spontaneously, you may wish to embrace an altruistic mindset and seek out situations in which you can help others. Therapy can be another way to adjust your thought and behavior patterns to embody the spirit of altruism.

What is altruism psychology?

The definition of altruism involves behavior contributing to someone else's well-being without benefit to yourself. An altruistic act could involve going out of your way to help someone in need, even if it reduces your financial well-being. 

Examples of altruism psychology in practice

There are several examples of altruism in psychology and daily life. Below are a few ways people might help others, often without thought of reward. Each can be viewed as a general example of altruistic behavior in altruism psychology: 

General examples of psychological altruism and altruistic behavior: 

• Generosity and selflessness

•  Willingness to donate money, time, or possessions to others

• Kindness 

• Showcasing benevolent, friendly, generous, courteous, gentle, or sympathetic actions

• Volunteering 

• Offering services to others of your own free will without pay 

• Compassion and empathy

• Increasing your awareness of the pain of others and offering to relieve it in any way possible 

• Philanthropy and helping others

•  Donating to a cause

Below are a few specific examples of altruism that may fit into those categories: 

• Buying a meal for a homeless person 

• Volunteering for a non-profit relief organization 

• Rescuing someone in an emergency 

• Donating to a charitable organization that helps people who are living with a disease

• Stopping to help someone whose car has broken down on the highway 

• Babysitting for a parent because they need a break

• Donating blood to save lives

• Offering free room and board in your home to someone going through cancer treatment 

Biological altruism vs. psychological altruism 

Biological altruism refers to helping behavior that promotes the species' survival at a cost to the individual. Psychological altruism can include biological altruism and helping behaviors that benefit someone else but don't impact survival or well-being. An example of biological altruism is evolutionary psychology. 

Evolutionary psychology and altruism

In evolutionary psychology or biological altruism, altruism is often considered a way of ensuring the species' survival. In this sense, practicing altruism can keep others safe and ensure the survival of future human beings.  

Some examples of altruism that may fit the evolutionary perspective can include the following: 

• Warning others of danger to defend them 
• Jumping in front of a dangerous vehicle to save another person 
• A person donating a kidney to another to keep them alive 
• Individuals working together to reduce the impact of climate change on future generations 
• Working in a non-profit that visits dangerous locations around the world to save people from disease or poverty 

Within the evolutionary perspective, studies have found that people are more likely to ensure another person's survival if the person is closely related to them. 

What is reciprocal altruism or helping in psychology? 

Reciprocal altruism can also be related to evolutionary altruism. It occurs when you complete a favor for another person because it might increase the likelihood that you could benefit from it in the future. Reciprocal altruism may come at a cost to the person offering the favor. The motivations in this type of altruism are not to receive a favor but to ensure one's survival and well-being in the future. 

Reciprocal altruism psychology and game theory

Game theory is often used to describe reciprocal altruism. Game theory is a branch of math that focuses on analyzing strategies for managing competitive situations. The Prisoner's Dilemma is one example of a "game" that can result in reciprocal altruism.

In the Prisoner's Dilemma, two players each have two options. Each option's outcome can depend on the choice made by the other player. The classic example of the Prisoner's Dilemma involves two criminals trying to decide who should confess to a crime. When both people act selfishly, they may both stay in prison. When they work together, the outcome might be better for both. 

Altruistic acts & social norms

Sometimes, people may act altruistically because they feel compassion and empathy for another, a behavior that can be explained by the empathy altruism hypothesis. However, others might engage in altruistic behavior to comply with social norms. For example, perhaps you see someone fall in front of you and don't want to help them get up. In this case, you might reach down and give them a hand because you think it is the "right thing to do" socially, which is often examined in social psychology. 

What can I do to choose altruistic behavior?

Altruism often happens spontaneously. You may decide at the moment whether to help or not. However, you can prepare for altruistic behavior in two ways. First, you can develop a mindset surrounding the value of helping others. Secondly, you can seek altruistic paths like volunteering, where you may be exposed to more situations to help others. You may be able to increase altruistic tendencies by engaging in prosocial behaviors, where you act in ways that benefit others, such as helping, sharing, volunteering, or donating. Also, random acts of kindness can boost overall happiness and well-being, which in turn may lead to more altruistic behaviors.

Altruism psychology research: Generosity and acts of kindness

Research has revealed several facts about altruistic behavior. In one study, people helped others more often if their contributions were public. People who performed altruistic acts often gained higher status and were typically preferred for cooperative behavior projects. In addition, the researchers concluded that the higher the personal cost of altruism, the more status it could bring to the participants. Women, older people, recent immigrants, and the working class were more generous than others in the study. 

What is true psychological altruism?

Some people believe that true altruism isn't possible. Whether helping benefits you directly or indirectly, your motives in every situation may not be completely unselfish. Your actions may not be motivated solely by unselfish reasons in every situation. However, on a personal basis, you can choose to help someone, whether it causes a negative or neutral impact on your life. When you make this choice, these good intentions may be more impactful than selfish ones. 

Everyone in a society may be affected by others in that society. Whether pure altruism exists may not matter. What may matter is that people can and do help each other in circumstances where they have the option of not doing so.

Develop altruistic & prosocial behavior in counseling

Working with a licensed mental health professional may help you become more altruistic. However, visiting a therapist's office in person may not always be the most convenient option, and if you have a busy schedule, you may find it challenging to book a session at a time that works for you. In this case, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may be a beneficial alternative. With online therapy, you can connect with a licensed therapist from your home at a time that matches your availability. You can foster effective altruism with a therapist, to improve your mental and physical health, while benefitting the wider community.

Becoming more altruistic may also involve adjusting thought and behavior patterns, which can often be addressed through modalities like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). According to one study, online CBT can be as effective as traditional face-to-face CBT. In addition to teaching altruism, CBT can also address symptoms of common mental health symptoms.