Ben Waber reviewed Altruistic Urge by Stephanie D. Preston
A Focused, Biologically-Driven Analysis of the Roots of Urgent Altruistic Behavior
4 stars
This book isn't about the myriad kinds of altruism, but rather the urge nearly all mammalian species experience to help others of their species. Preston shows across a wide variety of studies how universal this feeling is, its biological roots, and how to channel this urge to achieve better societal outcomes. The end of the book gets speculative and bogged down in some discredited psychology research, and unfortunately given its publisher I can only recommend getting this book from your library
This book isn't about the myriad kinds of altruism, but rather the urge nearly all mammalian species experience to help others of their species. Preston shows across a wide variety of studies how universal this feeling is, its biological roots, and how to channel this urge to achieve better societal outcomes. The end of the book gets speculative and bogged down in some discredited psychology research, and unfortunately given its publisher I can only recommend getting this book from your library