Christmas and Altruism
by Jeffrey Rubin, PhD
Welcome to From Insults To Respect.
As I write this, it is a few days before Christmas. The season finds me increasing my tips at restaurants. Somehow, in some vague kind of way, I kind of respect myself for doing so. I wonder why?
I’m not alone in increasing tip giving during the Christmas season. 
I know this first hand because during my Brooklyn College days I drove a taxi a couple of nights each week and during the holiday season people tipped me way better than usual. Is there something about this season that leads us to be more altruistic? There is a research study that suggests this is so.
Written by Mathias Ekström and published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, the article, “Seasonal Altruism: How Christmas Shapes Unsolicited Charitable Giving,” provides evidence that the month of December is associated with a 14% increase in the probability people will make an unsolicited donation. In the study, half of the December increase in generosity persisted into January. Sadly, by February the increased rate of giving disappeared.
Charles Dickens
So, when Charles Dickens wrote, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year,” it appears most people fail to do so.
It is interesting that Ekström believed he was studying “altruism,” but what does that term really mean?
Definitional Issues Regarding the Meaning Of Altruism
In the psychological literature, there are basically two types of helping behaviors. The first is viewed as being activated by social expectations; the other—altruism—is viewed as being activated by self-expectations.
Social expectations are learned in the normal course of socialization. They are activated by explicit or subtle communications from others, or by one’s realization that one’s actions may be revealed to individuals from whom one hopes to earn respect. A crucial component of these social expectations is an implicit backing by social sanctions. Sanctions may be mild, remote, and even improbable.
Altruism, in contrast, is activated by self-expectations. Information about another’s need leads to the activation of internalized values or norms regardless of external reinforcement. Altruism is behavior that is intended solely to benefit others and not to gain material or social rewards.
In natural settings, altruism has been observed in human beings in settings such as disasters, and parents providing for their offspring. The helpers frequently report that they had made their altruistic decision solely based on a simple moral precept. Once the helper realized that someone required aid, and there was some obvious way help can be given, he or she promptly acted without deliberating alternatives.
Why Altruism Is Important
Altruistic behaviors help the human race thrive. The reciprocation of kind deeds help group members to get backup when needed.
It’s a wonderful thing that Christmas promotes altruism, even if it too often lasts only for a few weeks. Does it have to be that way? Here’s hoping we all find a way to honor Christmas throughout the entire upcoming new year.
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Some people will enjoy reading this blog by beginning with the first post and then moving forward to the next more recent one; then to the next one; and so on. This permits readers to catch up on some ideas that were presented earlier and to move through all of the ideas in a systematic fashion to develop their emotional intelligence. To begin at the very first post you can click HERE.
Can I change my email? I don’t see any link to do this.
Qedeileen@gmail.com
I also graduated from Brooklyn college 1968.
Eileen McGinn
My tech guy says:
“If she is looking to change the email she is subscribed to get the latest posts, then she can just fill out the subscribe form at the bottom of any of your blog posts and input the new email address.
Then if she no longer wants to receive emails at the old address, she can click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any of those emails.”
I hope this works for you.
Jeff
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this philosophical question that I wrestle with: “Is it possible to give selflessly?”
When I commit an “altruistic” act, it usually makes me feel good about myself. Some might consider this to be a good thing, a win win scenario. But I can’t help feeling that my altruistic act was not selfless, and that the fact that it helped somebody else was a minor byproduct of committing an act that was mainly to make myself feel good.
Hi Lennon,
Interesting question. As I see it, I think you are partly right, in that often one does feel good upon doing an altruistic act, and therefore I can see why someone might feel that this is the essential motivator. However, I, myself, have helped someone and felt annoyed while doing it, but did it anyway because I felt it was the right thing to do. I remember, for example, when my sons were young and how I occasionally felt when picking them up from sports practice. At times I was awfully tired after work, and I cursed under my breath as I dragged myself out the door to pick them up. At no point during these types of weary sports pick-ups did I feel good. This makes me think that when acting altruistic there is more than merely feeling good that propels us into action. Thoughts?
Jeff
In the scenario you described, were you being altruistic? Or were you doing that chore because of the societal expectations placed on you and the negative repercussions of an angry spouse and child if you did not do it? Perhaps you didn’t want to be known as a “bad dad”? I wouldn’t consider doing a task simply to avoid the negative consequences, to be an altruistic motivation.
But you bring up a good point, on the flip side of the coin, do some people give at Christmas because they don’t want to be considered a “Scrooge” more than they actually want to help other people? And is that still an altruistic motivation if that is the case? Fear of societal shunning is a powerful motivation.
Hi Lennon,
Wonderful exploration of important issues in your last comment. I think, Lennon, all of the various theories that you describe for why I might have acted as I did in the scenario I provided can indeed play a part in some situations and for any given individual. As for me, as I look within, although I think some thoughts that matches your guesses of why I might have acted as I did probably did come to my mind, yet, above and beyond them, I think I did what I did out of love for my sons and because I felt it was the right thing to do. In that sense I think I was being altruistic as I understand the term.
With regards to the second paragraph of your comment, if people give so they won’t be viewed as a Scrooge by others, to me that is not an example of altruism. However, if they think to themselves, “I’m going to give because I don’t want to view myself as a Scrooge, that, I think, fits my definition of acting altruistically.
My Best,
Jeff
During the Christmas season many people are busy with all kinds of nice and fun things. They also buy presents for themselves and their loved ones. A cozy and happy time. At the same time, they also are confronted with and are aware that there is also a lot of poverty and misery going on, perhaps also visible in their immediate environment. This great contrast is difficult for them to bear, and arouses feelings of guilt. They want to get rid of that. It doesn’t fit ‘Merry Christmas’. And so they become a little more generous than usual. As soon as the Christmas spirit is gone, they return to their same old routine. Ergo: No altruism but absolution 😈
Hi Roald,
I suspect that the guilt, as you describe it, is the motivator for some people, and sometimes, perhaps, it is partly guilt, and partly the good feelings of joining in the joyous holiday spirit which includes being kind, and sometimes it occurs without guilt. Do you think guilt is always the predominant motivator?
Jeff
No, of course not. But as you already know, I get a kick out of showing people the third side of the coin.
Btw, what’s your position when it comes to the Christmas tree? Personally I ask people if they realize that while Christmas is the time when light (Jesus) was brought to humanity, they put a dying tree in their house/yard to celebrate this.
Hi Roald,
Christmas Trees that are not made of live trees that were recently cut down are probably OK for both you and me. It provides a display of memorable tree decorations, many are passed down from one generation to another. There are Christmas tree farms that always grow another tree that is cut down, thus maintaining the amount of trees in the area. Here, I haven’t really thought enough about this to see its ecological impact. I’m open to hear about the pros and cons of this issue.
Jeff