In the post titled “the state of being and feeling good,” we talked about the importance of cultivating the different dimensions of well-being (physical, mental, cultural, social, and spiritual) to achieve a state of fullness. The practice of altruism undoubtedly nourishes the social dimension and elevates us as human beings. There is no way not to feel good by being kind and generous, and this distinguishes us as humans. But after all, what is Altruism?
“It is the love for others. From the Latin root alter, which means "other," it designates, precisely, the interest in others. A term created by the French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857) to designate the feeling opposite to selfishness.” According to Comte: "To live for others is not only the law of duty but also the law of happiness.”
When we talk about altruism, we are initially led to consider only its philosophical and theological aspects, but its importance for science becomes clear when we evaluate the numerous scientific studies that have been published on this topic since the 1960s, which have intensified in this early century, some of them associating altruistic behavior with benefits for health, longevity, and well-being (1). Just out of curiosity, it is worth mentioning that the term “Altruism” associated with the term “human” in Pubmed results in 4,699 related studies to date.
Stephen G. Post is one of the researchers who stands out on the subject. In his book “Altruism and Health: Perspectives from Empirical Research,” published by Oxford University Press in 2007, there is a chapter on altruism, well-being, and mental health in the elderly, where we find a very interesting statement from an 88-year-old man when asked about his feelings when helping someone. He says: “although there isn’t much I can still do, I can still bring a smile to someone’s face” (2).
This statement prompts us to consider the following: if we pay more attention to the people and events around us, we will find numerous opportunities every day to be kind, generous, and compassionate. Small gestures and actions like holding the elevator door for someone with their hands full, giving up a seat to an elderly person in a public place, saying good morning to the doorman, smiling at the counter attendant, and respecting a colleague's opinion are simple examples of how to practice altruism. This is not a difficult task, as human physiology itself favors mutual cooperation and love for others.
The hormone oxytocin, for example, recognized as the molecule of love and about which we have much to discuss in our upcoming posts, besides being involved in the mother-child relationship, in the bond between couples, and in social relationships, is also involved in cooperative behavior (3). In addition to oxytocin, dopamine plays an important role in altruistic social behavior mediated by the reward mechanism (4).
The magazine Isto É (May 11, 2012) published a very interesting article on the issue of generosity, in which there is a figure that clearly illustrates the physiological aspects of altruism mentioned above, and that is worth sharing: http://www.istoe.com.br/reportagens/205685_O+PODER+DA+GENEROSIDADE?pathImagens=&path=&actualArea=internalPage
As a final reflection, there is an invitation to meditate on the phrase by the Dalai Lama, who is globally recognized for promoting peace and compassion among all of us: “Humanity is one, and this small planet is our only home. If we are to protect this home, each of us needs to experience a living feeling of universal altruism.”
Reading Recommendations:
1. Lozada, M.; D'Adamo, P., Fuentes, M.A. Beneficial effects of human altruism. J Theor Biol. Nov 21;289:12-6; 2011;
2. Post, S.G. Altruism, happiness, and health: it’s good to be good. Int J Behav Med. 12(2):66-77, 2005;
3. Post, S. G. Altruism and Health: Perspectives from Empirical Research. Oxford University Press, 2007. Cap. 4: “Altruism, well-being and mental health in late life.” Available at: http://www.case.edu/artsci/soci/documents/Lifecourseperspectivesonaltruistichealthandmentalhealth.pdf;
4. Israel, S.; Weisel, O.; Ebstein, R. P.; Bornstein, G. Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, increases both parochial and universal altruism. Psychoneuroendocrinology. Feb, 27, 2012
5. Skuse, D.H.; Gallagher L. Genetic influences on social cognition. Pediatr Res. May;69(5 Pt 2):85R-91R, 2011;
