Previous research already suggests that being prosocial (or altruistic) rather than selfish has positive consequences for psychological well-being, physical health, and interpersonal relationships.
But if we speak on a purely creamy level , then according to this 2020 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , a prosocial person is more likely to earn more money (and also have more children).
Money and children
The team of researchers, led by Kimmo Eriksson of Stockholm University, compared factors such as annual income and the number of biological children. A large sample of responses of 5,294 Americans to the General Social Survey (GSS) of public opinion between 2002 and 2014 was analyzed, as well as European responses to the European Social Survey (ESS).
The researchers identified the most selfish people by their responses to various survey questions. Overall, although the researchers found that, in public perception, 68 percent of people believed that selfishness was a common trait of those who made more money, in reality, people with disinterested attitudes and behaviors had more income. tall and also more children .
Human behavior can be motivated by altruism as well as by moral considerations. However, altruistic behavior may be the default choice in our brains, as a 2017 study conducted by a team led by UCLA’s Leonardo Christov-Moore also suggests. It found an area of the prefrontal cortex that can be specifically affected so that people are less generous.
What we cannot easily know, however, is whether altruistic people make more money because they are altruistic or, by making more money, they become more altruistic. In any case, this Christmas Eve, perhaps we should try to corner Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge a bit.