Why do people do good things? Does doing good have to be taught and learned? Or are people born with the innate knowledge of how to be kind?
Dacher Keltner, director of the Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory, has written a book entitled Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life. In it, he uncovers scientific findings that show performing random acts of kindness is a combination of nature and nurture.
Keltner points to Descent of Man, where Darwin argues that humans are a profoundly social and caring species. This is directly in contrast to the common belief that Darwin thought humans were violent, competitive, self-interested, the whole pretext for the theory of “survival of the fittest.” Keltner convincingly quotes Darwin as a proponent of human kindness: “…the social instincts lead an animal to take pleasure in the society of his fellows, to feel a certain amount of sympathy with them and to perform various services…Such actions appear to be the simple result of the greater strength of the social or maternal instincts than that of any other instinct or motive.”
Taking this further, Keltner researched Darwin’s Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals and found detailed descriptions of human emotions such as reverence, love, tenderness, laughter, embarrassment and more. Keltner reached the science-based conclusion that these emotions are at the core of the human capacity for virtue and doing good.
What did Keltner and his team of researchers find that is biologically based? He says, “The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system. It is a bundle of nerves that originates in the top of the spinal cord and activates different organs throughout the body, including the heart, lungs, liver and digestive organs. When active, it is likely to produce that feeling of warm expansion in the chest, for example, when we are moved by someone’s goodness or when we appreciate a beautiful piece of music. The vagus nerve is thought to stimulate certain muscles in the vocal chamber, enabling communication. And it is unique to mammals.
“Our research and that of other scientists suggests that the vagus nerve may be a physiological system that supports caretaking and altruism. Activation of the vagus nerve is associated with feelings of compassion and ethical intuition that humans from different social groups share—a common humanity. This area of study is the beginning of a fascinating new argument about altruism—that a branch of our nervous system evolved to support such behavior.”
Keltner’s research posits that happiness can be cultivated in a variety of ways, and in doing so, brings out the good in others and in oneself. He calls it “a new science of happiness” that provides hope for a better future, where compassion, gratitude and reverence prevail, counteracting the current culture that is consumption-based and materialistic, often devoid of any virtuous intent.
The new science of happiness can be seen in examples Keltner cites: “Medical doctors are now receiving training in the tools of compassion—empathetic listening, warm touch—that almost certainly improve basic health outcomes. Teachers now regularly teach the tools of empathy and respect. Executives are learning the wisdom around the country of emotional intelligence—respect, building trust—that there is more to a company’s thriving than profit or the bottom line. In prisons and juvenile detention centers, meditation is being taught.”
This is Random Acts of Kindness week. Why not perform a small random act of kindness every day this week and start a wonderful habit? When you perform an act of kindness, there’s a double positive: the effect on the recipient and the effect on you. And it can become a triple positive if there’s someone who witnesses the act and is motivated to perform a kindness, too.