Why altruism is selfish | Neuroscientist Abigail Marsh

[@davidhartney3965]

Wanting to help people is the perfect gesture, because feeling good after it is just the most perfect by-product. Which also helps the cycles of helping become ongoing. Which can benefit all of humanity.

[@FINcLoAk]

Yes, it releases oxytocin and by that it increases compassion and love. And what's best in that is, if someone witness your act of kindness/altruism even he/she have a joy of having the hormone increase, so it's a glue of humanity.

[@timwoodger7896]

Positive selfishness. They should teach this in schools. It’s nice to be nice.

[@HAPPLIP]

Narcissistic moral virtue. The virtue signaler might emphasize behaviors, like volunteer work or spiritual proclivities that substantiate their moral superiority.

[@ΤηλέμαχοςΤζιάμαλης]

Yes it is, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you do something good, do it because you really want it.

[@kasugasawa839]

bro didn't finished watching the video😮

[@ΤηλέμαχοςΤζιάμαλης]

@@kasugasawa839 Yes.

[@lloydwang4159]

Ppl want to avoid being selfish but that’s literally all we are, individual beings.. so much semantics

[@satyadasgumbyji8956]

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." -Ralph Waldo Emerson ✌️🌎❤️

[@frattman]

'My cat's breath smells like cat food' - Ralph Wiggem

[@richardesponja693]

Being depressed, where helping is the only thing that makes you happy, got me also questioning this. But at least, others feel joy too.

[@haveaniceday23]

Becoming joyful by helping is in itself helpful. Not selfish. We love being around joyful people and it's contagious 😀

[@Sowb4n]

Even if doesn't necessarily benefits others, I don't think doing things that brings you only the joy is necessarily selfish. I see Selfishness as doing things that not only brings you joy but also harms others (and you don't care about it)

[@aarrvindmbd1974]

Satisfaction drive everything ...relief and and peace after helping,

[@anderson.barcellos]

True bro! Satisfaction is the best experience one can have… lasts for months, years, and tells a lot about who you are

[@natina1957]

*Thank you😊 for this video, do you offer account management or have any recommendations?*

[@PalmerWoods2]

If you’re using a good manager, it’s easier to earn from the market

[@BrooklynHarlow21]

That's true. a lot of people today have been having lots of disappointments in trading in light of helpless direction and awful consultants

[@KaylaAlexis.]

I've been trying to trade but I keep making losses and it's frustrating

[@KaylaAlexis.]

Could you suggest a consultant for me?

[@RebeccaEmily-s8h]

VICTORIA WALTERS HAYWARD is exceptionally good, i believe you should give her a try

[@ashwin0095]

Most cynical people calls Acts of altruism selfish. stay away from these people because they do negative comment on your altruistic deed and try to break your goodness.

[@xu5462]

Why would selfishness be necessarily something negative and opposed to goodness?

[@andrewwiggins9262]

@@xu5462my point exactly, being selfish isn’t necessarily a negative

[@ashwin0095]

​@@xu5462 selfish is not negative it is to save your world for others(that's how it should be) it is just prospective how others see.

[@homeontherange733]

Agree. Considering the alternative is unthinkable.

[@tontongasy]

Then that will open doors to grey zones of many definitions; what is selfish? And attachment ? And expectations ?

[@xu5462]

Every act is selfish. But that does not mean immoral.

[@HAPPLIP]

All of the above. Anything that leads to the self.

[@ryan99842]

the fact that nobody talks aobut Unveiling Your Hidden Potential by Bruce Thornwood speaks volumes about how people are stuck in trance

[@nicolebogda1482]

Helping people for me is a necessity, not for myself. It’s honestly exhausting.

[@PezGen]

Saying helping others is exhausting really isn’t a good look bud. Don’t help them complain.

[@wjf5839]

Something to consider is the aspect of consent in altruism. When the recipient who doesn't want the assistance is ignored or not given the opportunity to consent that is ego based altruism from the giver.

[@brothermine2292]

Why does it matter whether altruism meets some technical definition of "selfishness?" What matters is that it also meets the common definition of selflessness.

[@heman248]

Sad thing is that this can be exploited, and many influencers do it. You just need to tell a convincing story to others and they might help you even when you don't actually need it.

[@VKTR_Tech]

I've always thought this way, but it's fun to watch someone else talk about it.

[@diegoalves598]

See, one can do whatever they want to feel joy and happiness, but he choses to help others, getting nothing out of it, only a feeling of fulfillment. Yet, he is not altruistic, he is selfish. Bravo.

[@opiniwise]

Yup, just reminded me about friends. Now i have to watch it again 😅

[@alienvisitor131]

I never become joyful after helping other creatures. Most of the time i feel deeply saddened because there is so much harm in life to overcome and tho possible, we systematically avoid doing enough to make it easier for others. 😢

[@livephysiology]

Perhaps the problem is in looking at is as an inverse correlation when in truth it's a positive correlation. As one variable goes up, the other variable also goes up. As explained in the video, if helping others improves the lives of others while making the individual who helped happy, both the giver is better off and the receiver is better off. The relationship benefits both and does not need to be described as it must harm the giver for it to truly benefit the receiver. That would be a false correlation.

[@pauldarbishire7226]

Anthony de Mello SJ described altruism as 1) helping others because it makes me feel good 2) helping others because it makes the recipient feel good and that makes me feel good or 3) helping others stops me feeling bad. A famed specialist in recovery from addiction described altruism as "enlightened self-interest".

[@dennistucker1153]

Love this subject. Great video. I believe that LOVE in most forms are just expressions of ALTRUISM.

[@OneOfEightBillion]

I've known this for a long time after learning about the human neurochemical reward system. We get our fix of dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins in many ways!

[@richardmaier28]

Ayn Rand was my introduction to the post/neg virtues of altruism in jr high,back in the middle 60's,things and time changes your motivation.

[@chuckheppner4384]

“It is interesting that for Plato, and for most Platonists, an altruistic individualism cannot exist. According to Plato, the only alternative to collectivism is egoism; he simply identifies all altruism with collectivism, and all individualism with egoism. This is not a matter of terminology, of mere words, for instead of four possibilities, Plato recognized only two. This has created considerable confusion in speculation on ehtical matters, even down to our own day. Plato’s identification of individualism with egoism furnishes him with a powerful weapon for his defence of collectivism as well as for his attack upon individualism. In defending collectivism, he can appeal to our humanitarian feeling of unselfishness; in his attack, he can brand all individualists as selfish, as incapable of devotion to anything but themselves. This attack, although aimed by Plato against individualism in our sense, i.e. against the rights of human individuals, reaches of course only a very different target, egoism. But this difference is constantly ignored by Plato and by most Platonists... Individualism was part of the old intuitive idea of justice. That justice is not, as Plato would have it, the health and harmony of the state, but rather a certain way of treating individuals, is emphasized by Aristotle, when he says, ‘justice is something that pertains to persons.” Karl Popper "If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." Jack Kornfield

[@lostecho01]

Your presentation is well performed in terms of content! Regarding the topic , I believe we are neurologically wired to feel pleasure and happiness when we do something good! On the other hand, I don't think feeling pleasure actually contradicts being selfless and altruistic! Otherwise, how are we going to help people If we don't feel the pleasure of doing so? To be altruistic ,we should do good for the sake of doing good ( though, as I said , doesn't contradict the pleasure we feel ) and not expect any material reward in return.

[@BlondeManNoName]

I help others because I can't behave any other way, my heart pulls me to do so. I've learned that not everyone wants to be helped though.

[@AmelAmel-ir2wl]

That was so helpful nd yes it is cz for me I help ppl bcz my relegion said that we have to help each other nd I help ppl without waiting them to do the same alhamdulillah may Allah guide u all to help ppl ❤️

[@AlexLiYT]

Help ppl for altruism candy -> they hate you for being selfish. Help ppl for other reasons -> they hate you for being heartless and insincere. Conclusion: get to know what kind of person the person you're tryna help is, to see which is the better way to help them. Alternatively, if you don't have the time to get to know them, then stop caring what they think and just help them if you want to.

[@KaiseruSoze]

An action where you are getting joy AND helping is a win win act. If the meaning of the word "altruism" is poorly defined - I'm not worried about it.

[@NPRixix]

I had thought about this previously in relation to knowledge and conversations. If you enjoy learning new things, listening to other people and letting them talk about what they like is one of the best things you can do. So, when in conversations with people, you might want to ask genuine questions, pay attention to the answers, and build on the answers to ask more meaningful questions. That person will likely feel joy in seeing that you are truly interested and will want to expand, which also fosters good relationships and increases your knowledge about things. Sure, this can be seen as selfish, but I think that is a bit of a reductive perspective, because it's ultimately positive for everyone involved as mentioned in the video.

[@LastDays77]

It’s much easier to serve yourself. Anyone who goes out of their way to be charitable expecting nothing in return, but maybe feeling good about it, is doing a good thing. I’ve given to people secretly and felt good that I helped them because I eased their suffering. Damn I’m so selfish

[@talkingtochapri]

Nobody is saying altruism is selfish, i have never seen it online or offline 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@bagas.ybnarh]

One of Rick and Morty's episode talk about this, that selfishness and altruism is different sides of the same coin. Go check it out the episode of advanced dinosaurs

[@robertdouglas8895]

"All for one and one for all." Motto of "The Three Musketeers."

[@Daniel-sl4gf]

I love helping ppl,and it brings me joy, but at the same time, i can't stand being around them.

[@johnvidag]

Strange re-action. Why?

[@HasanAli-kd2vx]

One day there will be a museum of kind deeds. Even today it is rare thing

[@PH_1964]

Philanthropists who declare how much they donated (for tax dodge) is the most self serving Narcissism. Giving anonymously is true giving.

[@Ryan2142]

Eh maybe.

[@kittylagrace1128]

It's not the altruism that is judged as selfish but the superiority many altruistic people carry.

[@lostecho01]

You got the point! Sadly there are some people who are doing good just for the show which boosts their ego and makes them feel some kind of superiority and that's all! It's not unusual to see people doing good just for the sake of doing good..

[@raccoonboi_tl]

I don’t see anything wrong with that. they’re still contributing to more good in the world. Contrast this with awful people who are selfish AND superior and then it’s clear who i’d rather hang out with. It’s so hard to find genuinely good (and it’s difficult to BE genuinely good) these days, so I’d cherish those altruistic, if a little flawed, person in times where shitty people’s in every corner.

[@TRAVELLEROFWORLDS]

Selfless: giving of one's self. Selfish: to hold to one's self. Let Selflessness be like heat. Selfishness be like cold. A person is colder alone than when they're part of a warm community. I'm sure every good deed does benefit the giver some. Joy is passed on and hopefully amplified by others. There is a scale. Shades of each. Yet the more help you give others, for example, the more you can get back in return. The more you accept or take help for others, the more you can give them in return. Goodness is always in stock. Give it freely. Help yourself and help others too.

[@PBTophie]

This was the very first topic we were given in my freshman-year debate class, because it's such a simple concept that even 14-year-olds can navigate the intricacies thereof. Truly altruistic people don't help others because it makes them feel or look good. Although they are aware of these byproducts, said effects are not the driving motivation for the truly altruistic. We can argue the semantics of the word "selfish" to prove that literally everything we do is with a selfish intent within the subconscious, but the broader debate is whether that actually matters. You may differ in opinion, but I don't think it matters at all to the truly altruistic.

[@KatherinePion]

We could be doing many other things for pleasure. Helping others just happens to be one of the best. Why take the joy away from doing something good and feeling guilty about doing good?❤

[@alidafranco6244]

Altruism gives us the joy of interconnectedness. This Joy cannot be equated with hedonistic pleasures. To do so is to lack an understanding of altruism is about.

[@2007Tubes]

I thought it said "AUTISM is selfish" and I spent 5 minutes really confused, then the video ended. Only then did I reread the title and get it.

[@Simple-Indian]

Only people who are deeply passionate about something can be or are altruistic in their own way. Most people do good for others expecting something in return (even if it's just compliments) or a good turn later. Humans are wired to do what gives them pleasure or benefit of some kind, which could be just psychological, not material. Hence, people engaged in geriatric or palliative care need to be truly altruistic to sincerely care for those under their watch, not merely because they are paid for it, or worse, ordered by a court of law (community service !).

[@mikitz]

Doing good deeds for others that land you a life sentence in solitary confinement. Now *that* is true altruism.

[@Kwadratura]

That's a mercifulness

[@chestercopperpot7214]

This “new” explanation of justifying tethered selfishness to Altruism because you get a dopamine dump is a garbage explanation. I am an Altruist, and I do it purely for the sole reason of doing it cause it’s the right thing to do. I get zero high from helping people. I don’t want a pat on the back. I want people to understand that you should do it because of principle, and that the emotional buzz you may or may not get shouldn’t be a factor.

[@xu5462]

You’re still doing it for selfishness. Not because you get joy from helping others, but because you would experience negative joy from not helping others.

[@Morjixxo]

@@xu5462 Exactly. And I would add there is a Ego component: "I am better because I am altruist". ...and there is nothing wrong on being selfish or egocentric.

[@andrewwiggins9262]

@@Morjixxoyep I noticed the hint of ego-centrism too.

[@chestercopperpot7214]

@@Morjixxo you saw what you wanted to see. You help people because it’s the right thing to do. It’s not rocket science dumb dumb.

[@chestercopperpot7214]

@@Morjixxo it’s funny how you think you can understand somebody’s intentions by reading a comment, it never occurred to you that you’re mistaken

[@saralamuni]

The best gift is a selfless gift. Give without expecting anything in return.

[@tanned06]

Even a puppy will try to bring food to their master because it brings joy to them when seeing their master happy. Action that is motivated by a wish to see happiness and wellbeing beyond oneself and this brings joy beyond the hollow egocentric boundary is the noble action by altruism.

[@Vladd7]

Why do people feel guilt when they do something nice? Feeling good when you do something for someone is a feature, not a bug. It incentivizes this behavior because, in some way, both people benefit. Cooperation is one of the core reasons humans have evolved so well. Embrace this.

[@FrancisSiuChock]

In my mind 'true altruism' is giving without expectations and from your heart. This does not mean that you can't receive or get joy from giving. These feelings are not mutually exclusive.

[@syntropy3020]

Anyone only ever does anything for a perceived benefit to themselves.

[@BlakeHelms]

4:11 Having this be sponsored by the scam company that is “Betterhelp” undermines the message.

[@vanhovemare]

How can altruism be selfishness? They are polar opposites.

[@muhammadkassar4025]

What about feeling sad after helping others, knowing that what you did wont do or change much

[@queenelizabethiii1616]

That's something different.

[@TheDeepening718]

No, because that joy is a relief from being self-centered. It's ok to desire to help people because you like the way it feels or even if your motivation is to pad your ego's stats, but the ego is cause of all human misery and living to serve it will lead to disaster.

[@klakiti02]

What if I help people because seeing misery bothers me?

[@xu5462]

Still selfish, because you don’t want to see misery. True selfishnessless would be to help others with absolutely no reason to, which is simply impossible, which is why true selfishnessless is just a made up construct, which has absolutely no empirical truth-value.

[@justinmas299]

All human behavior is selfish, even self sacrifice.

[@TheLove1Makes]

Thanks

[@IRuinEvrything]

the first 47 seconds of this video take the most legalistic, nitpicky view of the balance between doing good and feeling good about it that i've ever seen. Does the joy one feels about donating an organ outweigh the joy the recipient has at being alive for longer as a result? Joy is something that increases in quantity when shared. It does not divide, it multiplies.

[@donharris8846]

Everything is necessarily selfish how could it not be? We only know ourselves, our own minds. Selfish doesn’t have to be a bad thing though. At most basic, we are just minds experiencing the external world through our senses. Everything outside of you is actually created/interpreted in your own mind.

[@wjf5839]

It's okay to feel good because you helped someone. But that should be the byproduct, not the goal.

[@pivanv23]

i'm happy to help people, however once they are succesful they forget the one who helped me, and I feel unappreciated? but i know true help is not expecting in return and makes it genuine, but it feels sad when they leave you and forget you? hmm

[@joshkeating7825]

Interesting topic; feels pretty subjective. I think it’s very circumstantial, especially if you’re taking into consideration how it will make someone else feel. I’ve experienced people being extremely kind with acts towards me without listening to my preference or view on the matter at all, which I can see as selfish, because the person is seeking a rush of joy for helping someone else.

[@NPRixix]

1:15 - is there any recommended reading to explore this topic in more detail? ie the relationship between joy and morality and the scepticism towards something that brings pleasure?

[@tylermacdonald8924]

To say that altruism is selfish because people have to be motivated to see good, is like being mad that your bread is processed because it was baked. It is essential! The fact that they are motivated for the sake of the good is the gery definition of altruism!

[@Kwadratura]

I wouldn't say that working as a volounteer in hospice generally brings be joy. I would use the word satisfaction. It's not something i like to do, i just like the feeling of doing something useful. Which is still selfish but in more subtle way

[@shisir_nayak2377]

Call me pessimistic, but i haven't seen a person helping others for own joy, it's mostly anticipation.

[@nillinx1234]

Whats really amazing is that it takes a neuroscientist to figure out something any physically disabled person that does grocery shopping could tell you.

[@johnnybanana8562]

Well you know what they say about opinions...

[@jamesstrom6991]

Helping others and self reward are nit mutually exclusive. Something can be both altruistic and “selfish”. And “selfish” has a connotation of a negative effect on others. A better reward would be “self rewarding”.

[@frattman]

The idea that only suffering can bring about good is definitely religiously ingrained in our society! Biologically it makes perfect sense for doing good to feel good - that is a feedback loop that benefits every species in most contexts. It's the opposite of 'hurt people hurt people' - more like 'healthy people heal people'

[@npcla1]

it's just in the definition. There's no true altruism but if you redefine it, there is. The average person isn't a philosopher, so they use words casually and without thinking. Same with words like 'free will'.

[@caganseval]

Dear Abigail Marsh, I hope one day all world will be selfish enough to enjoy from being good to each other so the world will become a selfish happy place

[@gravestone4840]

On the other end of this line of thinking is the juvenile ideas of Ayn Rand where selfishness is the point and in fact considered a virtue. An idea she herself learned was terrible later in life when she was totally reliant on social security and the charity of others.

[@jaygee553]

Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. The Arch - altruist knows, follow Him.

[@Kwadratura]

2:10 disclaimer, NEVER pull up drowning person like that!!!!

[@optiksillusive]

You gonna just leave us wondering?

[@cwaddle]

Well, it probably is true that altruism is motivated by selfishness. It has the benefit of bringing utility for others and that is what we need to focus on. It doesn’t really matter whether he was driven by selfishness. The focus should be on the outcome from that which is that people around you are happier and Better resourced

[@ronjones1414]

This is the fatal flaw in Rand's anti-altruism. To be altruistic is to be happy, it is a positive part of consciousness.

[@raccoonboi_tl]

Its okay to be selfish if it doesnt negatively harm anyone

[@HakuCell]

we feel good when helping others because we evolved as tribes.

[@kitebarbie]

We can also look at intelligent creatures… they seem to help just as an empathetic thing? Like the chimp that shares its banana when researchers deprived its neighbor of food. Marine mammals also have shown what we may describe as altruism… seemingly just bc they are able to and respond to the struggle of the creature (or human) they help. Focusing on judging it based on the perception of the helper fells like a very “zero-sum game” approach.

[@cassie668]

I literally feel nothing when I do good things lol 😂 in fact I often feel I get screwed when I do the right thing and it can be annoying. That’s not a good feeling. Yet, I do the altruistic thing because that’s the only way to have a society.

[@mikemetague7973]

Self-interest can be as abstract as doing good to tell yourself you're a good person. This is an old moral argument I've heard in the 1970s.

[@dirtyenergywar7029]

The joy obtained from helping others comes from EMPATHY: The ability to see something FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S PERSPECTIVE and put yourself IN SOMEONE ELSE'S POSITION... The OPPOSITE OF SELFISH by DEFINITION!!! This argument must've come from someone who has no empathy but sees the satisfaction it brings to others... Someone who was JUSTIFYING THEIR OWN SELFISHNESS!!! Quite sad, really...

[@test40323]

summary: happiness is a byproduct of altruism and if not the goal then the act is not selfish. question: can a selfish act be altruistic?

[@inesatt1313]

Joey is SO wrong about the selfless acts reciprocation,when you feel good about doing good to anyone you are blessed,plus it is a sign of Imane in Islam we are encouraged to do good however we can, even a smile can be charity, because it was done out of the goodness of your heart.

[@KyraSimoneofficial]

❤ Thanks for this video

[@181cameron]

Does selfishness have to be a bad thing? Too much, yes. But if you're not taking care of number one, then who else are you going to rely on?

[@kiwinzdebz]

Over human history, communities where altruism was prevalent had a survival advantage, thus causing altruism to develop in humans as an evolutionary trait. We literally evolved to help each other. However, this trait is also evident in many other successful species. These points are often missed in these types of discussions, probably because many of us are still under the delusion that we have total free will.

[@kemowasabi551]

Thanks, Internet for ruining even good acts. Between this and plastic in every thing we eat or drink- why leave the house?

[@DharmendraRaiMindMap]

I am the only true altruist . Why ?

[@Apeiron242]

Not + wrong = right

[@fayediza]

How about being alturistic to other people but don't care about their own self?

[@tylerreynolds5290]

This is not always true. I help work with the homeless and the feeling I get afterwards makes me feel awful as I have so much while others have so little. I help not because it makes me feel good, but because it is for the better good of society and for the benefit of other people who cannot help themselves.

[@DarylBaines]

What about altruism out of a sense of duty? Many religions and civil societies (even military) promote self-less acts as a correct form of behaviour.

[@gt-gu7rb]

This is the mostt ridiculous argument I've ever heard.

[@bidrumpurkayastha339]

May be, it can be explained by the game theory? Both the parties gain something this way. So, altruism brings good for everyone. This is the best strategy.

[@queenelizabethiii1616]

Yes it is always the middle path that's the best.

[@theily1724]

Quick, someone tell Ayn Rand!