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altruism

AL-troo-iz-uhm /ˈæl.tru.ɪ.zəm/

nounC1GREGMATIELTS

academicsociologyeconomics

Disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.

In behavioral economics, pure altruism is distinguished from reciprocal altruism (helping because you expect future returns).

The story behind the word. Coined in 1851 by French philosopher Auguste Comte as an antonym to egoism. He derived it from the Latin 'alter' ('other'), arguing that civilized human progress depended on cultivating devotion to the welfare of others above self-interest.

Word relationships

benevolence: Benevolence is a warm disposition or desire to do good; altruism emphasizes actions incurring personal cost for others.
philanthropy: Philanthropy specifically involves donating money or institutional aid; altruism is any selfless action.

egoism: Egoism is the ethical drive toward self-interest and personal gain.
selfishness: Selfishness reflects concern for oneself with disregard for others.

Commonly confused with

reciprocity: Altruism is giving without expecting anything back, while reciprocity is giving with the social expectation of mutual exchange.

Word family

altruist (noun): A person who acts selflessly to help others.
altruistic (adjective): Showing selfless concern for the welfare of others.

Collocations

pure altruism
reciprocal altruism
effective altruism
altruistic behavior

Idioms & expressions

good Samaritan

Example sentences

"In dictator games, players frequently exhibit genuine altruism by sharing prize money with anonymous strangers." Behavioral experiment report
"Effective altruism uses data and evidence to maximize the positive impact of charitable donations." Socio-economic literature

Memory hook

ALTruism is caring about ALT-er (other) people. Altruism = Putting others before yourself.

When not to use

Do not use to describe transactions where explicit compensation or immediate mutual profit is agreed upon.

Fun facts

Standard economic models long predicted humans would give zero dollars in single-shot anonymous dictator games, yet real subjects consistently donate 20-30% of their money.