Why do we praise generous acts more when they seem more selfless?
Just as humans often use generosity in self-serving ways, they also scrutinize the generous acts of others for underlying selfish motives. When a corporation donates to charity, for instance, we may wonder whether it’s just an effort to generate governmental or public goodwill, in order to avoid regulation or to drum up business. To assess a generous act in this way, however, is not necessarily to disparage the act’s moral value. Even if the act benefits the giver substantially, it may still be highly commendable and beneficial for the recipient; there’s nothing wrong with win-win situations. Still, people reserve a special place in their heart for acts that seem to be true cases of self-sacrificial altruism: the less we can discern self-serving motives for a generous act, the more we extol the act.
Why do we praise generous acts more when they seem more selfless?
It may seem slightly ironic, but we probably do so out of self-interest: as beneficiaries of such acts, we aren’t expected to provide anything in return, so we gain bigger net benefits than we would from acts that obligated us to reciprocate.
Here’s an illustration: in a study I conducted among members of a work team in an indigenous Amazonian society…Respondents overwhelmingly favored a member who worked hard for low benefit—an altruist—over one who worked hard for high benefit. (They also overwhelmingly disfavored one who worked little for high benefit—a free rider—compared to one who worked little for low benefit). In other words, indigenous team members preferred the actor who would produce higher net benefits for them, were they on the same team; as in our own culture, selfless generosity was praised more than selfish generosity.
But as praiseworthy as many acts of self-sacrificial generosity may be, we should remember that praising others for these acts is itself probably selfish.
