Why are people generous?: New model-based approaches to long-standing questions

Human beings are capable of extraordinary altruism, choosing to help others at a cost to themselves. We donate time, money, blood, and even occasionally our own organs, sometimes to total strangers. Yet just as often, we show a disheartening tendency towards selfishness, turning a blind eye to others' needs. What explains the remarkable highs (and lows) in human altruism? How do we reduce selfishness and increase sensitivity to the needs of others? Does being generous require self-control, or can it be easy and intuitive? 

My research has begun to answer these questions through a new computational model of altruism that permits, for the first time, more precise characterization and simulation of the sub-second dynamics underlying choice. Remarkably, this model predicts patterns of choice, reaction time, and brain response that have traditionally been used to argue for or against the role of self-control in generosity, without requiring self-control. It also suggests that altruistic actions do not always result from altruistic preferences. This highlights the need to re-examine previous research in light of computational predictions, but also opens up new questions and avenues for exploration. 

My three strands of research will provide new tools to study altruistic choice, answer long-standing questions about whether it depends on self-control, and lead to novel ways to increase generosity, a social commodity of increasing importance in an increasingly interconnected world.