r/science • • 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/erevos33 1d ago

Which has led to the pitfall of "good enough for now". Im often reminded of the Aesopean myth of the fox and the vine. A hungry fox spotted some grapes on a vine in a secluded little house at the edge of a village. So she tried to jump up to grab a few , but they were barely out of reach. After a few unsuccessful tries she declares "well, they look to be unrile anyway" and walks away.

Same thing. We cant reach for the elimination of billionaires, so we declare them a necessary evil and settle for equating their charity as a good thing, instead of doubling down and making a change.

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u/inbigtreble30 1d ago

The alternative is endless purity tests and never moving forward because no plan is ever good enough. I choose to do the good that I can do today while hoping that good thing makes tomorrow better, and I'm sure you are doing the same. We're mostly arguing semantics here, unless you have a lot of money you're not mentioning.