Selfishness Is Learned

David Rand – a psychology, management, economics and social policy studies professor at Yale University – and Harvard professors Martin Nowak and Joshua Greene wanted to know if people are selfish or selfless by nature. To find an answer, in 2012, they conducted ten experiments, most based on standard economics “public-goods” scenarios. They gave American adults money and the option of contributing their funds to a common pool, which the researchers would then multiply and equally redistribute. The majority of participants gave some money, even though they could have gained without giving. When researchers...