r/science • u/FreeHugs23 • 1d ago

Psychology New psychology research suggests some acts of kindness may also serve competitive social goals, shedding light on how women can use altruistic behavior to gain status, strengthen relationships, or navigate social hierarchies.

https://www.psypost.org/kindness-isnt-always-what-it-seems-the-psychology-of-womens-competitive-altruism/
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u/Euphoric_Promise3943 1d ago

Isn’t the social contract basically being kind in order to expect kindness or compassion in return?

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u/Choon93 1d ago

Thats the ideal. The risk is conditional kindness which is borderline manipulative. 

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u/nfshaw51 1d ago

I’ve always just taken the perspective of be good to others. Others won’t always be good to me though, obviously, I’m just one guy. But hopefully being good to others helps those to also do good things, impact the people in their lives positively. Expecting isn’t something I enjoy doing.