Is altruism innate or learned

The returns may be as abstract as a better society, or being seen as an admirable person, or getting a simple smile, but there is a reward for your actions.Now, a pair of stanford psychologists has conducted experiments that indicate altruism has environmental triggers, and is not something we are simply born with.Numerous studies have shown that children as young as 1From an evolutionary perspective, this is puzzling.Hamilton's kin selection theory suggests that, yes, altruism is innate for both human beings and animals.

Many parents often wonder how they can increase their child's empathy and kind behavior.Being able to see the consequences of.Everybody's wired for it, but a switch has to be flipped. david rakoff.Philippe rushton university of western ontario the answer to the question posed in my title is yes.Ever since the concept of altruism was proposed in the 19th century, psychologists have debated whether or not people are born into the world preprogrammed to be nice to others.

But, we also learn altruism from our environment, upbringing, and cultural norms.This is the first study to link altruism to a specific gene.Altruism is the unselfish concern for other people—doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons.