The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money
Yes, money has been a little tight lately. But, at the end of my life, when I'm sitting on my yacht, am I going to be thinking about much money I have? No. I'm going to be thinking about, how many friends I have. And my children. And my comedy albums. I mean, I have a yacht so I obviously did pretty well money wise.
-Michael Scott, Dunder Mifflin Regional Manager, Scranton.
Money may not necessarily always be a good thing. A breath of fresh air in the midst of the current economic recession. One that could possibly be the longest since World War II and arguably the gravest since the Great Depression. In fact, small amounts of money could actually interfere with a person's inherent altruistic qualities. His or her drive to do something kind and generous just, "because." You might be wondering how I could possibly be making this argument. Yes, I like to reach into my wallet and grab a crisp ten just as much as the next guy. But I'm also just as tempted by irrational behavior as the next guy.
It all comes down to a specific part of the brain. One that is activated when you go on a date...and when you receive a monetary reward. This "pleasure center" of the brain is engaged in a constant battle with another strong fighter -- the posterior superior temporal sulcus. Try saying that ten times fast. The PSTS is the altruism center of the brain. The one that allows you to tell a friend, "Sure, I'll help you build your bed on my first day back from summer." It's the one, that in a similar situation, but one in which your friend offers you financial compensation say, $10 (peanuts, of course), backs down.
When money becomes invovled, you begin to think of the activity in terms of what you are getting out of it rather than what your friend is getting out of your help. Is giving up your first day back to build a bed in an uncooled room really worth the $10 dollars? Altruism is no longer in the running. The pleasure center is kicked into full gear.
In a weird way, the monetary reward makes you, a bad friend? A lesser friend? Not necessarily. But at least a friend with different values.
Competition between money and altriusm is nothing novel. It dates back to our hunter gatherer ancestors. That's right. Before the invention of money itself. It has been found that, when primed with mating goals, men are more likely to spend luxuriously and women are more likely to publicly help others. Men display their resources and women their kindness -- prime qualities sought by the opposite sex in a mate.
So if you offer me ten dollars to help you move in your furniture will I take you up on the offer? Probably not. But not because it's not worth the ten dollars. More because I would never expect or accept money in exchange for helping a friend. Sure, I don't fit into economic theories of irrationality. But humans are not economic robots. We're also social creatures. Ones that value friendship over petty cash. Ones that genuinely want to lend a helping hand, even if it's not holding a crisp bill for us to grab.
Who would have thought that some of the most pleasurable of experiences (read: that warm "I just helped someone" glow) could occur when the lights are out in the biological pleasure center?
-Michael Scott, Dunder Mifflin Regional Manager, Scranton.
Money may not necessarily always be a good thing. A breath of fresh air in the midst of the current economic recession. One that could possibly be the longest since World War II and arguably the gravest since the Great Depression. In fact, small amounts of money could actually interfere with a person's inherent altruistic qualities. His or her drive to do something kind and generous just, "because." You might be wondering how I could possibly be making this argument. Yes, I like to reach into my wallet and grab a crisp ten just as much as the next guy. But I'm also just as tempted by irrational behavior as the next guy.
It all comes down to a specific part of the brain. One that is activated when you go on a date...and when you receive a monetary reward. This "pleasure center" of the brain is engaged in a constant battle with another strong fighter -- the posterior superior temporal sulcus. Try saying that ten times fast. The PSTS is the altruism center of the brain. The one that allows you to tell a friend, "Sure, I'll help you build your bed on my first day back from summer." It's the one, that in a similar situation, but one in which your friend offers you financial compensation say, $10 (peanuts, of course), backs down.
When money becomes invovled, you begin to think of the activity in terms of what you are getting out of it rather than what your friend is getting out of your help. Is giving up your first day back to build a bed in an uncooled room really worth the $10 dollars? Altruism is no longer in the running. The pleasure center is kicked into full gear.
In a weird way, the monetary reward makes you, a bad friend? A lesser friend? Not necessarily. But at least a friend with different values.
Competition between money and altriusm is nothing novel. It dates back to our hunter gatherer ancestors. That's right. Before the invention of money itself. It has been found that, when primed with mating goals, men are more likely to spend luxuriously and women are more likely to publicly help others. Men display their resources and women their kindness -- prime qualities sought by the opposite sex in a mate.
So if you offer me ten dollars to help you move in your furniture will I take you up on the offer? Probably not. But not because it's not worth the ten dollars. More because I would never expect or accept money in exchange for helping a friend. Sure, I don't fit into economic theories of irrationality. But humans are not economic robots. We're also social creatures. Ones that value friendship over petty cash. Ones that genuinely want to lend a helping hand, even if it's not holding a crisp bill for us to grab.
Who would have thought that some of the most pleasurable of experiences (read: that warm "I just helped someone" glow) could occur when the lights are out in the biological pleasure center?
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