Why do humans choose to be altruistic at a loss, and what are the evolutionary reasons behind it?

Humans help others through altruistic behavior, but it can be viewed as an investment for long-term gain rather than a simple sacrifice. According to the repetition-reciprocity hypothesis, helping and cooperating in ongoing relationships can lead to greater long-term rewards. However, altruistic behavior that involves pure sacrifice is not fully explained by this hypothesis.

 

What is an “altruistic act”? Simply put, an act is altruistic if it allows someone else to benefit from your sacrifice or effort. For example, volunteering to help people in need in a disaster area, donating money to someone begging on the street, donating blood to a stranger, or donating a lock of hair you’ve grown over the years are all examples of “altruistic behavior”. These examples are all around us if we think about them a bit. Charity work, donation campaigns, and blood donations are all examples of altruistic behaviors that we see every day, and they are valuable because they are done for the greater good of society, not just for personal gain.
Altruism is more than just a behavior, it is one of the important foundational elements of human society. Given that human society cannot function without consideration for and cooperation with others, altruistic behavior plays an essential role in building trust between members of society, which in turn promotes community stability and development. So, what do these altruistic behaviors mean in terms of human instinct and evolutionary theory?
Humans are born with a natural tendency to minimize harm and maximize benefit, which is a natural motivation for survival and prosperity, but altruistic acts can be seen as going against this instinct. For example, helping others at the expense of your own resources may seem like a loss on the surface. So why is altruistic behavior so persistent in human society? Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this question, the most prominent of which is the “reciprocity hypothesis”. This hypothesis states that humans are not simply self-interested beings, but rather that they promote their own long-term interests through cooperation and consideration in reciprocal and recurring relationships.
To understand this hypothesis more concretely, consider the story of a village of armless people. All of its inhabitants are armless, which makes it impossible for them to feed themselves. If each person tried to satisfy their own hunger, they would never be able to eat without help. But if they feed each other, they’ll be able to fill their stomachs. It’s easy to see that cooperation is the only solution in this situation. Altruism comes naturally to us in situations like this, where we know that if we help someone else, we will eventually be helped ourselves. The important point here is that altruistic behavior is not just a sacrifice, but an investment for your own benefit in the long run.
Applying the repetition-reciprocity hypothesis, altruistic behavior persists in society to increase the likelihood of receiving a reward later in a long-term relationship. For example, people who meet and interact with each other frequently build trust and form relationships that allow them to give and receive help in times of need. This social contract can lead to greater benefits in the long run, even at the cost of temporary losses. In other words, altruistic behaviors help us maintain relationships with others and create an environment where we can continue to receive help.
So, what if more altruistic behavior leads to more selfish people reaping the benefits? This is a legitimate concern. However, according to the reciprocity hypothesis, altruistic behavior is based on conditional cooperation, not unconditional sacrifice. In other words, altruistic people help others because they consider the possibility that they will be helped in the same way in the future. Therefore, a situation where only selfish people benefit is unlikely to be sustainable. In the long run, it’s in the best interest of both parties to give and receive help in a reciprocal relationship.
However, the repetition-reciprocity hypothesis doesn’t explain all altruistic behavior. For example, consider the story of an old man who donated the money he had saved from a lifetime of begging to needy students. This man gave of his resources to help others even though he could not expect to receive anything in return. This is a difficult example for the repetition-reciprocity hypothesis to explain. The grandfather does not have a recurring relationship with the students he helps, and he cannot expect to receive any benefit from them. This is a pure form of altruism that we cannot explain, and it highlights the limitations of the repetition-reciprocity hypothesis.
In conclusion, the reciprocity hypothesis is a very valid theory for explaining social cooperation and altruistic behavior in many cases. It shows that humans are not just self-interested beings, but that cooperation and consideration can lead to long-term benefits. However, it cannot explain all situations, and it still has limitations when it comes to truly altruistic behavior that involves pure sacrifice.