Definition
Altruism is a highly prosocial behavior whereby an individual will promote the welfare of others at a cost or risk to themselves. People tend to participate in more altruistic behaviors when they feel like they are being watched by others. The “watching eyes” effect is the phenomenon whereby an image of a pair of eyes can positively influence a person’s altruistic behavior.
Introduction
Altruism is an act that promotes the welfare of others at the cost to the self. It has been the subject of much interest within behavioral sciences (see chapters “Kin Selection Hypothesis” and “Reciprocal Altruism” for further details). Humans however are unusually ubiquitous in displays of altruism toward unrelated strangers and will often engage in competitive altruism (Roberts 1998). Being seento be altruistic by group members could have a number of fitness benefits. These may include...
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References
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Jenner, K., Iredale, W. (2020). Altruism and Watching Eyes. In: Shackelford, T.K., Weekes-Shackelford, V.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2554-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2554-1
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