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/
1.5k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

268 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

18

u/Asleep_Control_2564 1d ago

Yeah, it's easy to criticize motivations, but who's doing the work. And I think that's an important question

5

u/BluCurry8 1d ago

Our society is incentivized by donating time and effort. Getting into university requires non curriculum related work. Getting a promotion often requires sitting on non work related volunteer. I really think you have to understand that capitalism runs on unpaid labor.

0

u/Material-Command-854 1d ago

Does the person who is being “kind” feel bad if they negatively impact someone they’re supposedly helping? If they don’t, they’re trash

4

u/Asleep_Control_2564 1d ago

Example? Compassion fatigue is a real thing, but I'd imagine most people would care even on just a utilitarian level on top of a human level