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Altruism

Altruism

Altruistic behaviors are “unselfish” behaviors—those that help another individual at the expense of the individual carrying out the behavior. Despite the negative consequences for the altruistic animal, these behaviors are thought to have evolved for several reasons.

Egoism and Altruism

Egoism and Altruism

Voluntary behavior with the intent to help other people is called prosocial behavior. Why do people help other people? Is personal benefit such as feeling good about oneself the only reason people help one another?

Primary and Secondary Reinforcers

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Inclusive Fitness

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Self-Serving Bias

Self-Serving Bias

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Incentive Theory: Pull Theory of Motivation

Incentive theory, or the "pull theory" of motivation, suggests that external rewards primarily drive behavior. Individuals are motivated to engage in activities when they anticipate a desirable outcome. This is why people often work hard for promotions or study intensively to achieve high grades. These incentives can be tangible, physical rewards such as money or promotions, or intangible, non-physical rewards like praise and social recognition.
The theory differentiates between intrinsic and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates

Published on: November 11, 2011

Giving is self-rewarding for monkeys.

Frans B M de Waal¹, Kristin Leimgruber, Amanda R Greenberg

¹Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. dewaal@emory.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|September 2, 2008

Summary

Capuchin monkeys exhibit prosocial behavior, favoring choices that benefit partners when conditions are fair and partners are familiar. These findings suggest that rewarding others may be intrinsically gratifying for nonhuman primates.

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Area of Science:

Primate behavior
Comparative psychology
Social cognition

Background:

Human prosociality is linked to empathy and self-satisfaction.
Understanding the evolutionary roots of prosociality requires studying nonhuman primates.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether capuchin monkeys possess self-rewarding mechanisms for prosocial behavior.
To identify conditions influencing prosocial choices in capuchin monkeys.

Main Methods:

Eight female brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) participated in a choice paradigm.
Subjects chose between a selfish option (rewarding only self) and a prosocial option (rewarding self and partner).
Factors like partner familiarity, visibility, and reward equity were manipulated.

Main Results:

Capuchin monkeys preferentially chose the prosocial option when partners were familiar, visible, and received equal rewards.
Prosocial tendencies increased with social closeness (kin > strangers).
Choices became more selfish when rewards were inequitable or partners were not visible.

Conclusions:

Capuchin monkeys demonstrate condition-dependent prosociality.
The study suggests that benefiting others can be intrinsically rewarding for nonhuman primates.
Social factors significantly influence the expression of prosocial behavior in capuchins.