In this blog post, we explore the reasons people choose altruistic actions despite personal loss and the significance of such behavior for both individuals and society.
Most people have likely experienced acting altruistically toward others at least once. (In this article, altruistic actions refer to behaving for others’ benefit even when it causes personal loss.) In daily life, even just riding the subway often places us in situations where we must decide whether to act altruistically or ignore it and focus on our own affairs. For example, after a tough day, sitting on a subway seat while someone who should be offered the seat stands in front of you, or encountering people begging for money when exiting the subway station are precisely such situations. Usually, in the first situation, unless I was truly exhausted, I would unconsciously stand up and give up my seat. In the second situation, I often gave the spare change I had in my pocket. However, upon reflection, it’s rare for others to criticize me for not giving up my subway seat, and if I hadn’t given the spare change, I could have used that money for something more directly valuable to me. Nevertheless, the reason I acted as I did was likely because I (even unconsciously) considered the comfort or happiness others would gain at my expense. So, how have you acted in such situations? More importantly, why did you act that way? Furthermore, in the thousands of similar situations you’ll face in the future, is there a reason to act altruistically?
Thinking simply makes it easy. If you ignore such a situation, you’ve simply acted for yourself. But we don’t believe we have any reason or right to condemn someone who ignores such a situation. This is because each person has different values and circumstances. Here, ‘circumstances’ refers to the personal situations each individual faces. Furthermore, if you act altruistically in this situation, it would either be your natural behavior for others or the result of your own thought and action.
But let’s think about it more deeply. Acting for yourself means focusing on your own ‘benefit’. It means you acted in a way that was more beneficial to yourself by conserving energy or avoiding complex thought processes in that situation – for example, preserving your tired body to go home and do more homework. On the other hand, your natural actions for others or the result of your thinking and acting carry more complex meanings. First, your natural (unconscious) actions for others can be interpreted as the result of moral education, etiquette training, or human conscience dictating that such behavior is proper. Respecting the elderly or helping those in unfortunate circumstances can be seen as following morality and etiquette, or as actions driven by our innate conscience or the guilt we would feel if we passed by such situations. The results of thinking and acting can be interpreted in various ways. One interpretation is that it is for ‘another benefit of mine’. This refers to the image of myself that will be seen by others or the theory of reciprocity. That is, I expect the image of myself that someone is watching (whether positive or negative, for example, my image that will be spoken of favorably or negative glances) or the benefit that will come back from the other person when I act that way. Another reason is for my own peace of mind, happiness, or sense of fulfillment. It stems from a pure desire to help others, or the satisfaction (derived from the other person’s happiness or gratitude) and fulfillment I gain by helping them – essentially, acting for my own happiness. We have likely acted in our own ways based on the above reasons or other personal motivations in such situations thus far. So, do we have a reason to act altruistically in the thousands of similar situations we will face in the future (including situations beyond the examples given)?
Let’s consider the above reasons collectively. They can be broadly divided into two categories. One is the reason from the perspective of ‘me’. From my perspective, the reasons we act altruistically can be divided into three. First, it is for another benefit of mine. This refers to the praise from others, or even the respect they show, that can be gained by acting altruistically, or the additional benefits that can be gained by helping others. Examples include the praise I receive when I give up my seat or the reward I get when I return a lost wallet. Second, it is for my conscience. Maintaining an appropriate level of altruism allows one to keep a clear conscience, thereby preserving inner peace. For instance, returning a large sum of money or a wallet to its owner, even knowing it might be to one’s disadvantage, without expecting a reward, falls under this category. If the owner is not found, the discomfort or guilt felt could outweigh the happiness derived from spending the money. Finally, one can act altruistically for their own happiness. This can be seen as a more proactive form of altruism than conscience, signifying the fulfillment and pride, and ultimately happiness, derived from helping others. The happiness gained through volunteer work is an example of this.
Another reason stems from the ‘society’ perspective, which relates to others. Reasons from this social perspective can also be divided into two. First is courtesy and morality. This is culturally formed, meaning we should maintain courtesy towards others and act morally. Second is maintaining relationships with others. We can consider the relationships we can sustain by acting altruistically and the additional benefits that may come from them. If I do not act altruistically, this relationship may break down, leading to emotional loss and a loss of benefits.
We act altruistically for the five reasons above, and these are also the reasons why we should act altruistically. Let’s apply this to the situation of ‘free-riding’.
We often see free riders around us. Whether intentional or not, free riding causes significant harm to others. People free ride for various reasons: they don’t need good grades, they don’t care about their team members, or they want to live freely. However, if good grades aren’t needed, witnessing teammates suffer and facing their criticism can lead to guilt and the loss of those relationships. If one doesn’t care about team relationships, they risk losing another personal benefit—their grades—while also facing severe criticism from teammates and suffering disadvantages as a result. In other words, the reasons mentioned above become reasons not to free-ride.
Furthermore, considering the methods to prevent free-riding can also be part of the reason to act altruistically. If good grades aren’t needed in the course, one could ensure disadvantages in other areas later. If relationships with teammates aren’t needed, utilizing a teammate reporting system to cause academic disadvantages would make preventing free-riding straightforward. In other words, if someone faces disadvantages in areas they haven’t given up, they gain a reason not to free-ride, thereby increasing the probability they won’t.
To propose a concrete method to prevent free-riding: establish a reporting system within the team and create a peer evaluation site. The reporting system prevents free-riding on good grades obtained without effort, while peer evaluations block future benefits like relationships with others and associated perks. However, both methods carry the fatal drawbacks of false accusations and distrust. Furthermore, some individuals may abandon both approaches entirely. Therefore, preventing free-riding also requires solutions tied to personal conscience. This means evaluating one’s own participation level and comparing it with others’ assessments.
In conclusion, we must act altruistically for reasons including our own interests, conscience, and happiness, as well as courtesy and relationships with others. These reasons are all interconnected, and ultimately, only by upholding all of them can we lead a happy life. Therefore, we must act altruistically.
