altruism

Raising money for charity is one thing. Knowing where to give it is another. When some charities are 100 times more effective than others, a world champion poker player knows how to spot who’s bluffing.

Ideology doesn’t bend to reason, says Professor Barbara Oakley. Here’s why we can’t really change what other people believe, and why that brand of “helping” others can backfire.

When you see a stranger in some kind of hardship, how do you react? Researchers carried out a rare study in a real-life setting to assess the relationship between empathy and altruism. 

Narcissists aren’t born – they’re made, says development psychologist Alison Gopnik. She takes issue with the popular notion that children need to unlearn brashness and learn civility, when neuroscience shows that it tends to work in the reverse.