Some people may be skeptical of pure altruism, but many psychologists believe we were born with the urge to help.
Developmental psychologist and author of the book “Why We Cooperate,” Michael Tomasello said infants have an innate tendency to want to help other people and this helping behavior is not necessarily encouraged by rewards or positive conditioning from their parents.
At 18 months, infants will immediately help an adult who dropped something. Even as early as 12 months, infants will point to an object an adult pretended to lose and try to help them find it.
Around age 3 children become more selective in their helping behavior. They are more concerned about social norms and choose their actions with the purpose of wanting to fit in, Tomasello said.
So at the root of our being, before we are exposed to adversity and develop our natural defenses and constructs of the ego, we are selfless. This is something to keep in mind, during the season of giving.
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