Although being selfish can be advantageous for survival, altruistic behavior is more prevalent in society. This can be explained by the eusociality effect. Altruistic people tend to associate with similarly inclined people, and based on social norms, reciprocity, and kin selection theory, altruistic behavior is beneficial in the long run for both individuals and groups. However, the benefits of diversity can be lost if there is too much of it.
Which is better for survival: altruism or selfishness? From the perspective of finding your own way to survive and getting what you need, being selfish is probably more beneficial. However, in society, people act for each other. What is it about altruistic behavior that makes it possible? The appearance of altruistic behavior in society can be explained by the “eusocial species hypothesis”. The term “eusociality” is a common phrase used to describe the tendency of people to hang out with each other, and some people believe that it is a stereotypical statement, while others believe that it actually exists in society. However, it’s a phenomenon that can be explained scientifically.
First, let’s look at a numerical example of the phenomenon of parity in society. According to research by a sociologist named Jared Diamond, people are more likely to socialize with people who are similar to them depending on what they have in common. A person’s physical characteristics have a rather low impact on the phenomenon, with only a 20% chance of being with someone with similar physical features and a 40% chance of being with someone with similar personality traits. Religious beliefs and political views, on the other hand, were found to be as much as 90% more likely to influence the eugenics effect, meaning that people are more likely to associate with people who are similar in cultural and behavioral characteristics, which is what we call the eugenics effect.
Based on this research, we can calculate the similarity effect based on the cultural traits selfishness and altruism. If we have the ability to recognize the other person’s traits in advance, altruistic people will avoid selfish people and try to do business with altruistic people. In fact, according to psychologists Toubi Sugiyama and Cosmides, a part of our brain has the ability to detect “lies” from others without us even realizing it, meaning that we can recognize lies and get a feel for whether someone is selfish or altruistic. In addition to that, the other person’s past reputation also plays a role in the selfishness/altruism spillover effect. No one will want to associate with someone who has a reputation for being selfish, and the more selfless people are, the more they will trade with each other. Finally, the social norms that exist to maintain the group also play a role in reinforcing this tendency. Selfish people who use the betrayal strategy will be isolated from society by social norms, leaving only altruistic people in the group, making the poaching effect more pronounced.
These calculations show that the epistasis effect has a positive effect on altruism, but it comes at a cost. A society where everyone is similarly inclined is unlikely to produce creative thinking, nor is it likely to reap the rewards of diverse economic activities. The right mix of different people is what maximizes profitability, so the partial eusociality effect catalyzes the spread of altruistic tendencies, but penalizes the benefits of diversity by encouraging people to fit in. As a result, in our society, selfishness and altruism, as well as the eusocial effect, are increasingly less prevalent and more moderate.
To explain the biological origins of altruistic behavior and its evolutionary advantage, theories of reciprocal reciprocity and kin selection are also important. Reciprocal reciprocity means that when an individual performs an altruistic act for another individual, he or she will receive an altruistic act in return in the future. This plays an important role in creating and maintaining close social networks. Kin selection theory explains how by performing altruistic acts toward kin who share your genes, you will ultimately be able to pass on more of your genes to the next generation. Both of these theories show that altruistic behavior is a mechanism that contributes to the survival and prosperity of the group as a whole, beyond simply benefiting the individual.
Despite these disadvantages, our society is characterized by a high proportion of altruistic people. This is a disadvantage from a natural selection perspective, but it seems to be possible because we have a “society”. By interacting with each other, altruistic people have an advantage in the long run, resulting in outcomes that benefit not only the individual but society as a whole. In this sense, the eusocial species hypothesis can be used to explain the mood of society.
