Learn more about artsandculture with this collection
The power of gratitude and positive thinking
Ways to improve your mood
Simple daily habits for a happier life
Discover 137 similar ideas in
It takes just
18 mins to read
Reputation is “positional” – if one person rises, the others fall. This can create a strong sense of competition, which means that we’re always alert to the possibility that other people are getting ahead of us, even if they are achieving their status through altruism. We’ll be especially resentful if we think that the other person was only looking for those reputational benefits, rather than acting out of a genuine interest in others, since it may suggest a cunning and manipulative personality more generally.
21
90 reads
MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Recent behavioural studies show that selfishness and selflessness are considered to be morally equivalent by a lot of people.
Strikingly, this tendency seems to emerge early in life – at around the age of eight. And while the size of the effect may vary depending on the context, it seems to...
19
133 reads
Altruistic behaviour can make us walk a metaphorical tightrope. We need to balance our generosity perfectly, so that we are seen as cooperative and good, without arousing the suspicion that we are acting solely for the status.
If there’s no good evidence to suggest that their acts of genero...
19
84 reads
Ultimately, the only fool-proof way to avoid do-gooder derogation may be to do your best deeds in complete secret. And if others happen to discover the truth, despite your attempts to hide it – well, the good reputation that follows is simply a bonus.
22
110 reads
To understand the origins of this seemingly irrational behaviour, we need to consider how human altruism emerged in the first place.
According to evolutionary psychology, hardwired human behaviours should have evolved to improve our survival and our ability to pass on our genes to another g...
20
96 reads
The scepticism many of us feel towards people who are only trying to make the world a better place is a known behaviour, described by psychologists as “do-gooder derogation”.
And while the phenomenon may seem to be wholly irrational, there are some compelling evolutionary ...
22
155 reads
CURATED FROM
People tend to hate the goody-good and kind people!
“
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving & library
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Personalized recommendations
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates