WHY SO STINGY? THE NEUROSCIENCE OF GENEROSITY
- Author: Lucy Bloom
- Word Count: 499
Read the news article
Generosity is an interesting beast. As a charity CEO, I have seen it expressed in many different ways. The best kind of generosity comes with warmth and good old NSA – no strings attached. This kind of generosity is glorious to witness and is the backbone of charity work all over the world. The worst kind smacks you over the head with their husband’s cheque book.
I wrote a whole chapter about kindness and another on charity in my latest book, but I have continued to wonder about the ‘why’ of generosity. Why do some people give with nothing expected in return, even when they don’t have much themselves? Why do others use it to wield control and command kudos?
So I do what I always do when I don’t understand why people behave the way they do and I consult the neuroscientific research.
The origins of human generosity go back to when knuckle-draggers evolved into hunter-gatherers. Survival of the species relied on a herd mentality of care where older, fitter humans helped younger, slower, cuter ones. Those who didn’t participate in sharing or self-sacrifice for the herd were removed by natural selection. I wish stingy bastards in 2019 were the same: removed by natural selection.
Nature and nurture
According to science, humans are a combination of nature and nurture when it comes to generosity. The brain rewards you with a shot of feel-good dopamine when you are generous. That delicious hormone literally sizzles through your bloodstream when you take your imaginary generosity gland for a whirl. It is a biological boomerang: give to someone who needs it and the joy will bounce right back at you as a warm fuzzy feeling of reward and delight.
Humans employ two things when they are assessing whether to be generous: logic and empathy. The distraction of the decision-making part of the brain causes people to be more generous. Logic introduces an assessment of benefit and loss for giver and receiver. If the giver sees they can make a difference to the receiver without any significant loss to themselves, we have a winner in the logical generosity department!
Why so stingy?
So what makes a stingy bastard? Or worse, someone who is generous for all the wrong reasons. It seems to be the work of the nature/nurture/values trifecta. All three of which are done and dusted by the time humans are young adults. Meet an older person who lacks generosity and you really can’t convince them to repave their neural tendencies and nurtured behaviours with values of generosity and welfare. Unless you can appeal to their ego.
If you are born with less neural empathy (nature) than the next guy, you will be less likely to give. But that part of your brain is not fully developed until humans are 30. This explains why teenagers can be such breathtakingly selfish creatures. Teen brains lack neural empathy.
Article written by LUCY BLOOM and subscribe to our Podcast Channel
Further articles you may enjoy:
- (61)
Why Felicia Pizzonia Is the Sales Speaker Your Next Conference Needs In today’s competitive market, sales isn’t just about closing deals, it’s about understanding human behavior, adapting your mindset, and building authentic connections. That’s exactly where Felicia Pizzonia excels. A best-selling author, dynamic entrepreneur, and sought-after keynote speaker, Felicia brings a powerful blend of science-backed […]
- May 15, 2025
- (5)
Choosing a professional speaker is a choice we assist you with. To take the head ache out of your planning and organisation to ensure your event runs smoothly and professionally 1. Decide on the Theme It’s no use looking for a wildlife speaker, if your theme is Future Global Trends. If you’re not sure whether […]
- January 2, 2023
- (8)
I’ve often wished there were a remote control for real life that let you fast forward through the unpleasant parts and pause on the good stuff for one tech-free day. There’s not, but there is a practice that will put you back in control of your time. To explain, I need to hit rewind. Ten […]
- December 20, 2022
- (13)
Getting out of sync with a relatively new habit is easy. Getting back into the flow with that new habit is exceptionally hard. Stop Prospecting. Two habits I have started, stopped and restarted several times are daily writing and prospecting. So today, I’m going to write about prospecting… I’m not sure that counts as actual prospecting, […]
- December 18, 2022
- (2)
The most important question for leaders today is: “How can we lead with empathy and adaptability in a rapidly changing world?” In today’s dynamic and unpredictable environment, leaders face unprecedented challenges—from technological disruptions and global crises to shifting workforce expectations and evolving customer demands. Empathy and adaptability have become critical leadership qualities that enable leaders […]
- January 23, 2023
- (16)
Speakers Inc is available to offer you our LGBTQ Pride Speakers who offer Inspirational Leadership keynotes to open or close your next leadership and medical event or conference. Speakers Inc is a leading All American Speakers Bureau for motivational speakers that delivers keynotes over 400 times per year. Our LGBTQ and Pride Speakers are available […]
- December 21, 2022
- (8)
Are you guilty of multi-tasking during meetings? Unfortunately, being present during meetings, especially present-day Virtual meetings, is so rare, I wish I could bottle and sell it. Here’s a few facts you can toss around the tele-conferencing office (Source: Prezi State of Attention Research): In any online meeting about 95 percent of the audience is probably multi-tasking. The […]
- January 18, 2023
- (28)
Sara Sutton Fell, the founder of 1 Million for Work Flexibility, and CEO and founder of FlexJobs, shares tips on how to negotiate workplace flexibility. Workplace flexibility is not just an issue that impacts working women; working men are also eager for solutions that help them balance work and home, and a new survey from Working […]
- January 12, 2023
