Ideas worth spreading

Why some people are more altruistic than others

2,516,367 views |

Abigail Marsh |

TEDSummit

• June 2016

Why do some people do selfless things, helping other people even at risk to their own well-being? Psychology researcher Abigail Marsh studies the motivations of people who do extremely altruistic acts, like donating a kidney to a complete stranger. Are their brains just different?

Why do some people do selfless things, helping other people even at risk to their own well-being? Psychology researcher Abigail Marsh studies the motivations of people who do extremely altruistic acts, like donating a kidney to a complete stranger. Are their brains just different?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Learn about altruistic kidney donation. Many healthy people don't realize they could save a life by donating a kidney.

Support the Living Donor Protection Act to protect the rights of all living donors.

About the speaker

Abigail Marsh

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Abigail Marsh asks essential questions: If humans are evil, why do we sometimes go to extraordinary lengths to help others even at a cost to ourselves?

Steven Pinker | Viking, 2011 | Book

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

In The Better Angels of Our Nature, Pinker traces the prevalence of various kinds of violence—from military violence to homicide to animal abuse—over the course of human history. He finds that all forms of violence are steadily declining, and makes a compelling argument against the relatively common belief that human nature is fundamentally bad and getting worse. As the book's title suggests, human nature also comprises features that move people to cooperate.

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Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist monk, photographer and author

Ricard is an unusually multifaceted expert on the topic of altruism. Not only is he a Buddhist monk and humanitarian, he has also been an author of and a participant in scientific studies of compassion and altruism. In his blog, he touches on many topics central to the study of altruism, including why almost anyone should—and can—cultivate a more altruistic mindset.

Jan Krawitz, 2013 | Watch

Perfect Strangers

This beautiful documentary film was directed by Jan Kravitz, and follows one extraordinary altruist as she prepares for and undergoes surgery to donate one of her kidneys to a stranger. It explores the impact of altruistic kidney donation on both donor and recipient, and explores reasons why many people are uncomfortable with this level of generosity.

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Learn about altruistic kidney donation. Many healthy people don't realize they could save a life by donating a kidney.

Support the Living Donor Protection Act to protect the rights of all living donors.