This article discusses how altruistic behavior by good people is a common phenomenon, and explains why this is the case through the lens of group selection theory. It covers how altruistic behavior is more beneficial when group survival is more important than individual gain.
There are so many “good people” in the world. Whether it’s the person who doesn’t hesitate to hand a dollar to a beggar on the subway, the person who donates to the Salvation Army’s red baskets during the holidays, or the person who volunteers their time every week, there are countless people who rely on each other to get by. These “do-gooders” can be found in the classroom as well. The student who holds a book for a friend with a broken leg, or the student who comes in early in the morning to clean the classroom. It’s not uncommon to see these “good guys” around us, but why do they do these selfless acts? It’s not like they’re going to get any special recognition for their donations, and it’s probably more beneficial for them to use the money to buy something they need. In the classroom, if helping an injured student makes you late for class, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to go first for yourself? Similarly, if you come in early in the morning to clean up the classroom, it will soon be messy again. These acts of kindness actually require sacrifice and cost to the person performing them, so why do they choose to do them?
One of the theories that explains this altruistic behavior is group selection theory. Similar to the concept of “survival of the fittest,” this theory suggests that individuals who are well adapted to a given environment will survive, while those who are not will be culled. However, the difference between group selection and survival of the fittest is that the unit of survival is the group, not the individual. This means that even if an individual is not well adapted to the environment, if the group they are part of is well adapted to the environment, they will survive as part of the group. Here’s an easy way to understand this. Imagine an island with a group of people who can’t bend their arms, where selfish people don’t share their food with others and only think about themselves, while altruistic people share their food with others. The selfless people are constantly feeding others, and the selfish people are constantly getting food. In the end, individually, the selfish person will be the one who survives.
However, the situation is different when there are two islands. On each island, the selfish people will survive better, but when you compare the two islands, the island with the selfless people is likely to have a richer life. This is because a group of selfish people will be less competitive as a whole because they are looking out for their own interests, whereas a group of altruistic people will work together to make the group more competitive. Over time, the surviving group will eventually become an island of altruistic people. This is the essence of collective choice theory: even though selfish behavior may seem advantageous when viewed individually, altruistic behavior is more advantageous when viewed as a group.
This phenomenon can be seen in everyday life. For example, imagine a high school class with altruistic students who clean the classroom every morning, and selfish students who don’t clean and wait for someone else to do it. The altruistic students spend time cleaning every day, while the selfish students spend that time doing other things they would rather be doing. Over time, the altruistic students are more likely to abandon their altruistic behavior or become selfish as they see the selfish students enjoying a more comfortable school life. In other words, from an individual “survival of the fittest” perspective, the altruistic students may be eliminated. From a collective choice theory perspective, however, the story is different. Suppose a clean classroom is a more stable and pleasant environment than a dirty one. After a week, if you compare the cleaned classroom with the uncleaned classroom, one will remain clean, while the other will look like a pigsty.
As another example, imagine two groups of swimmers with similar skills: the selfish group will practice by focusing on their own strokes. The altruistic group would watch each other’s strokes and give feedback, pointing out weaknesses and areas for improvement. When the two groups eventually go to a swim meet, the selfless group is likely to perform better.
From the outside, it looks like the selfless people will be left behind and eliminated from the competition. Up close, the altruistic people may seem to lose out and look foolish. But from a broader perspective, altruistic people are making smarter choices for the survival of the group. Group selection theory provides a good explanation for why altruistic people exist.
