The Brains of Altruistic and Psychopathic People (W/ Abigail Marsh) | How to Be a Better Human | TED

Abigail Marsh, a psychology and neuroscience professor at Georgetown University, discusses her research on altruism, psychopathy, and aggression. She explores the continuum of altruistic and callous behaviors, emphasizing that altruistic acts, like kidney donation, often stem from humility and genuine care for others' welfare. Marsh highlights the role of empathy and well-being in fostering altruism and examines the complex motivations behind psychopathy, which lacks empathy and remorse. She advocates for understanding psychopathy as a disorder and stresses the importance of empathy and gratitude in promoting altruistic behaviors.

• Abigail Marsh recounts a life-saving incident involving a stranger who risked his life to save hers after a car accident.
• The stranger, resembling Idris Elba, acted selflessly without seeking recognition or thanks.
• Marsh uses this experience to highlight the concept of altruism and its profound impact on her life.

"There's a man out there somewhere who looks a little bit like the actor Idris Elba, or at least he did 20 years ago. I don't know anything else about him except that he once saved my life by putting his own life in danger."

• This quote sets the stage for discussing altruism by illustrating a real-life example of selfless behavior.

• Altruism is defined as behavior aimed at benefiting another person, with a focus on the outcome rather than the intention.
• Psychologists and biologists view altruism differently, with psychologists focusing on the goal of the behavior and biologists on the outcome and cost.
• The study of altruism involves understanding both extraordinary acts of kindness and the lack thereof, such as in individuals with psychopathy.

"So, altruism is any behavior that is aimed at benefiting another person, improving their welfare."

• This quote provides a clear definition of altruism, emphasizing the focus on benefiting others.

• Altruistic individuals, such as kidney donors, often insist they are not special and are uncomfortable with praise.
• Humility is seen as a key component of altruism, as altruists do not view themselves as more important than others.
• This mindset allows them to take risks or expend resources for the benefit of strangers.

"Only if you truly believe that you're not more important than anybody else does it make sense for you to give up your own stuff to help somebody else out there no matter who it is."

• This quote underscores the connection between humility and altruism, highlighting the self-perception necessary for altruistic behavior.

• Empathy is related to altruism but not as straightforward as previously thought.
• Altruists do not necessarily have greater empathy across the board but do empathize with strangers' pain.
• The ability to empathize is natural and often depends on the intrinsic care for the other person's welfare.

"It's not that the altruist necessarily can empathize better, but they do empathize. And the reason seems to be that they genuinely care about other people's welfare more."

• This quote explains the nuanced relationship between empathy and altruism, focusing on the genuine care altruists have for others.

• High levels of well-being contribute to the development of altruism, as individuals who feel they are flourishing are more likely to be altruistic.
• Societal levels of well-being correlate with increased altruism towards strangers.
• Personal well-being, such as being well-rested and nourished, also affects one's ability to be generous and altruistic.

"One of the ingredients to developing that ability, interestingly, seems to be having a high level of well-being."

• This quote highlights the connection between personal well-being and the capacity for altruism.

• There is a complex relationship between wealth, well-being, and altruism, with wealthier individuals often being more generous on average.
• However, there are exceptions, and not all wealthy individuals use their resources altruistically.
• The perception of who deserves compassion and generosity can influence altruistic behavior.

"As people have more sort of resources and wherewithal, they are more and more generous especially towards strangers on average with big exceptions."

• This quote addresses the general trend of wealthier individuals being more generous, while acknowledging exceptions.

• Wealth and power can be acquired through different means, influencing personality traits differently.
• Those who gain wealth through innovation and luck may experience gratitude and generosity.
• Individuals driven solely by the pursuit of wealth and power may exhibit callous and psychopathic traits.
• The desire for relative status is a moving target, often leading to dissatisfaction.

"It's also true that there's a relationship between the desire for money and status and power and callousness."

• Wealth and status can correlate with callous behavior, particularly if these were the primary motivators.

"Those are the things that highly psychopathic people tend to be driven by um is status um and resources and pleasure."

• Psychopathic individuals are often driven by the pursuit of status, resources, and pleasure.

• The central moral question is understanding what makes people care for or harm others.
• Empathy, altruism, and psychopathy/aggression are key areas of research to address this question.

"I do think personally there is no more important question in the world than what makes people care about others and what causes them to harm them."

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the motivations behind caring for or harming others.

"Empathy, how do people understand what others think and feel? Altruism, what drives us to help other people? And then psychopathy and aggression, what prevents us from harming them?"

• These three key questions guide research into human social behavior.

• Aggression is intentional behavior aimed at harming others and is not unique to humans.
• It can be categorized into self-defense, frustration-induced, and instrumental aggression.
• Instrumental aggression is calculated and often linked to psychopathy.

"Aggression is any behavior that's aimed at harming another person or could be an animal I suppose."

• Aggression is defined as intentional harm towards another being.

"The worst kind of aggression from a moral perspective is what's called instrumental aggression."

• Instrumental aggression is morally concerning due to its calculated and intentional nature.

• Psychopathy is present in 1-2% of the population and often goes unnoticed.
• People with psychopathy lack remorse, guilt, and genuine concern for others' welfare.
• Society rewards pro-social behavior and punishes antisocial behavior, limiting aggression.

"1 to 2% of the population of US adults has clinical levels of psychopathy."

• A small but significant portion of the population exhibits psychopathic traits.

"Even people with psychopathy don't act aggressively most of the time."

• Societal structures and consequences deter aggressive behavior in psychopathic individuals.

• Certain high-risk, high-reward fields may attract individuals with psychopathic traits.
• The entertainment industry is noted for higher levels of narcissism, which may overlap with psychopathy.

"There's some evidence that maybe especially fields of business that have that very high-risk, high-reward combination have higher levels of people with psychopathy."

• High-risk, high-reward environments may attract those with psychopathic traits due to their fearlessness.

"Certainly, the entertainment field may be filled with people who are higher in narcissism."

• The entertainment industry is recognized for having a higher prevalence of narcissistic traits.

• Psychopathy is distinct from psychopathy but shares overlapping traits. It is not synonymous with violence or being a serial killer.
• Individuals with psychopathy are generally not motivated by guilt or remorse and may lack empathy for others.
• The term "psychopath" is avoided to prevent dehumanization and to emphasize that psychopathy is a psychological disorder with heritable traits and specific brain development patterns.

"Narcissism is not the same thing as psychopathy, but they do overlap."

• This quote highlights the distinction and overlap between narcissism and psychopathy, emphasizing the complexity of these disorders.

"It's not that people choose to have these conditions. They can choose not to have them, right? You can absolutely choose a course of treatment that will cause you to not act this way anymore."

• This quote underscores the notion that psychopathy is a treatable disorder and not a choice, advocating for treatment rather than stigmatization.

• Avoiding the term "psychopath" is part of a broader movement in psychology to not define individuals by their disorders, promoting a more humanizing approach.
• People with psychopathy are capable of treatment and may desire a more typical life, emphasizing the importance of compassion and understanding.

"Psychology has stopped referring to people as their disorders... It's interesting how psychopathy has sort of not been caught up under that umbrella even by many psychologists."

• This quote explains the shift in psychological language, aiming to humanize individuals with psychopathy and reduce stigma.

"The first step is just remembering they're people and that they have psychopathy. They're not psychopaths."

• This quote reinforces the importance of viewing individuals with psychopathy as people first, advocating for a compassionate perspective.

• Individuals with psychopathy often mask their traits, appearing very nice to achieve their goals.
• Key traits include an unusually fearless temperament and a pattern of exploitative behavior across different contexts.
• Relationships of individuals with psychopathy tend to be shallow and based on mutual benefit rather than deep, supportive connections.

"People with psychopathy can be wonderful friends... because they've learned that by being really nice and fun and a good person to hang out with, that's a good way to get what they want later down the road."

• This quote illustrates how individuals with psychopathy may mask their traits to achieve their goals, often appearing charming and friendly.

"You're looking for a pattern of exploitative behavior again across situations."

• This quote highlights the importance of recognizing consistent exploitative behavior as a key indicator of psychopathy.

• Parents concerned about their child's behavior should seek professional assessment for disorders like oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and callous unemotional traits.
• Treatments for children with these traits differ from those for anxiety or depression and require specific approaches.
• Parent-focused treatments, such as Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), are effective in managing children's behavior by reinforcing positive actions and building warm relationships.

"You should not just hope this goes away. It could be a sign that the child has what's called unemotional traits, which are sort of the child precursor to psychopathy."

• This quote emphasizes the importance of early intervention and assessment for children exhibiting concerning behaviors.

"The best treatment by mile is these parent-focused treatments... having a therapist work with a young child directly is not nearly as helpful as having the therapist work with the parent."

• This quote explains the effectiveness of parent-focused treatments in managing children's behavior, highlighting the role of parents in the therapeutic process.

"Building that really warm, positive relationship with them is so important for the rest of it to take hold."

• This quote underscores the significance of fostering a warm and positive relationship between parents and children to support behavioral treatment.

• Effective care for challenging children requires balancing warmth and affection with high standards and consequences for misbehavior.
• Avoid being a pushover; maintain high expectations to prevent manipulation by children.
• It's crucial to couple warmth with discipline to foster proper behavior and learning.

"You have to resist the natural tendency to be grumpy and cold with these kids because they frustrate you all the time, right? You have to amp up the affection and the warmth, but not be a pushover, right?"

• The speaker emphasizes the need for a balanced approach in managing challenging children, combining affection with discipline.

• Self-awareness is a crucial step for individuals who may identify with psychopathic traits.
• Recognizing personal patterns that result in repeated negative outcomes is essential for change.
• Psychopathy can be viewed as a form of neurodivergence, and behavioral change is possible through therapy.

"The insight is a huge step in the right direction. Many people with psychopathy do not have insight that they are the cause of their problems."

• Insight and self-awareness are identified as pivotal in recognizing and addressing psychopathic behaviors.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), schema therapy, and transference therapy are effective for altering psychopathic behaviors.
• Therapy aims to develop new mental and behavioral habits that foster positive relationships.
• Changing habits of mind and behavior can lead to flourishing, adaptive relationships.

"The most effective way to do that is again with a psychotherapist... cognitive behavioral therapy is one of them."

• The importance of scientifically-based therapies in facilitating behavioral change is highlighted.

• Fear is often perceived negatively but is essential for survival and empathy.
• Fear enables understanding and empathy towards others, driving altruistic behaviors.
• Altruistic people tend to have stronger empathic responses to others' fears.

"Fear is one of the oldest emotions... it keeps us alive."

• Fear's evolutionary role in survival and its impact on empathy and altruism are discussed.

• Morality involves balancing personal needs with the needs of others.
• People are not inherently good or bad; actions define moral standing.
• Altruism can be increased through societal well-being and personal habit changes.

"Morality is really all about how we balance our own needs with the needs of the people around us."

• The complexity of morality and the potential for everyone to contribute positively to society are emphasized.

• Societal well-being and acute stress can increase altruistic behavior.
• Positive habits, such as gratitude journaling, foster pro-social behavior.
• Behavioral change often precedes internal desires and traits.

"Probably the best way to do it durably is... building better habits. Habits both of mind and habits of behavior."

• Strategies for increasing altruism focus on societal conditions and personal habit formation.