Is Altruism Genetic?
- Raihanna Osayra Rafinal
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 18
Imagine your friend was struggling with their homework. Would you help them? If you would, have you ever stopped to think of why? Is it because you're expecting something back? Do you care for their opinion of you? Maybe you inherently want to be ‘nice’? Or perhaps, this decision has been set in stone since birth.
Being ‘nice’ is fascinatingly associated with altruism, a behaviour that is selflessly done for the well-being of another at the expense of yourself (Kraut 2016, et al.). Researchers have been trying to figure out why people are altruistic, and why some people are more altruistic than others. What causes people to exhibit altruism? Are some people naturally more altruistic than others?
Was it pre-determined from birth?
W.D. Hamilton, an evolutionary biologist, developed a theory that dates back to 1964 which argued: natural selection would favour genes that increase the chances of survival of other genetically similar individuals, as this is evolutionarily advantageous. His theory does not necessarily argue that inheriting ‘altruistic genes’ automatically induces altruism, but rather that it increases the possibility of an individual to exhibit altruism.
Though he mostly discussed animals, his theory was also applied to humans. Interestingly, it was supported in studies such as Rushton et al. (1986), which aimed to determine the extent of genetics’ role in altruistic and aggressive behaviour in humans. The study found that altruism was around 56% heritable, demonstrating how genetics plays a large role in manifesting altruistic behaviour. However, in the same study, they also concluded that the remaining variation in altruistic traits was due to the unique, non-shared environment of each individual. This implies that an individual’s environment remains a factor in determining altruism in humans.
Alternatively, neurological explanations also exist. Professor Abigail Marsh studied individuals who were deemed as ‘extreme altruists’. The individuals chosen donated their kidneys or other organs to complete strangers whom they may also never meet, fulfilling the altruistic criteria of receiving little positive impact themselves. Marsh studied their amygdalas, a brain structure that regulates empathy, and found that they had larger and more reactive right amygdalas than the average person. Though this explains that some people may be biologically inclined to be more altruistic than others, it does not explain why the average person would exhibit altruistic behaviour.
Or is it determined by one’s environment?
Altruism could also be attributed to the environment. Rushton (1975) aimed to test how different forms of moral influence (modelling, preaching, and moral judgment) would affect children’s generosity. Rushton found that when children observed a model donate tokens, they were significantly more likely to donate as well. Rushton concluded that children are more likely to imitate altruistic behaviour when they directly observe a model demonstrating it, compared to other methods of moral influence. This provides an alternate explanation to altruism, and explains that altruistic behaviour can be learnt or imitated, and is not necessarily inherent from birth.
Additionally, altruism could also occur due to the presence of social groups and norms. Staub (1974) aimed to investigate how social factors, personality, and situational characteristics could influence whether an individual helped a person in distress. Staub found that individuals who were at the centre of their social network were more likely to help others. It was concluded that those with more central social roles felt a larger responsibility to behave altruistically. This provides a possible explanation as to why some people may be more altruistic than others. Clearly, an individual’s social environment remains a large factor in whether or not they exhibit increased altruism.
So, is altruism genetic?
It remains unclear whether either nature (biological factors) or nurture (social factors) plays a bigger role in shaping altruistic behaviour, however, it is clear that both cumulatively explain altruism.
Altruism, then, is not strictly something we are born with; rather, it is learnt through an individual’s unique environment and experiences, which is emphasised by biological factors. External factors such as good parenting, a positive social environment, and encouragement of altruistic behaviour are crucial to learn altruism. Internal motivations to model altruistic behaviour, along with personal and moral values, also push individuals to practice behaving altruistically, which in turn benefits others and contributes to society as a whole.
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