Hamilton's rule, introduced in the 1960s, says that altruism—helping others at your own expense—can evolve when the benefits to others, multiplied by how closely related they are to you, outweigh the ...

Have you ever acted kindly when you really didn’t want to? And if you forced yourself to anyway, was it merely because you thought you should? That you’d feel guilty or ashamed if you didn’t act, or ...

David P. Barash’s “The Ugly Underside of Altruism” (The Review, June 29) shows how evolutionary psychology has recently become more sophisticated. While Barash is more careful than most, his article ...

“ALTHOUGH a high standard of morality gives but a slight or no advantage to each individual man and his children over the other men of the same tribe… an advancement in the standard of morality will ...

Using the example of the Dissernet social movement we will tell you how our actions are related to our genes and why some become crooks while others struggle with ...

Why do we help others, even when it costs us something? This question has fascinated scientists for decades. A new study from the University of Amsterdam offers a breakthrough answer by updating one ...