From: Pacific Standard
Altruists Make More Money and Have More Kids
Altruistic people tend to score higher on many measures of life satisfaction. Yes, that seems counterintuitive, and such scales can admittedly be subjective. So a research team decided to explore the relationship between selflessness and two outcomes we are evolutionarily programmed to desire: wealth and procreation.
It reports generous people have more children than selfish ones. What’s more, as a rule, they also earn more money.
It further finds “people generally expect selfish individuals to have higher incomes,” an unsupported belief that can inspire bad behavior. In fact, writes a research team let by Kimmo Eriksson of Stockholm University, being socially conscious literally pays dividends.
Read the whole story (subscription may be required): Pacific Standard
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