Altruism

What is altruism?

Altruism can mean helping someone at a cost to yourself. It can also refer more specifically to the motive behind that help: concern for another person’s welfare. The action and the motive are related questions, but they are not identical.

Why people give

Andreoni’s model of impure altruism (1990) allows people to value both the benefit they create and the act of contributing. The satisfaction from giving is often called “warm glow.” Someone can care about helping and enjoy being a person who helps.

Dictator games study how people divide resources when the recipient cannot directly repay them within the game. Engel’s meta-study (2011) examines how those allocations vary with experimental conditions.

Why it matters

An anonymous donation to disaster relief may rule out public recognition, but several motives can still coexist. Understanding giving means looking at both who benefits and what the giver values, rather than deciding that an act must be either perfectly selfless or disguised selfishness.