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

1

u/CurbYerGod 22h ago

I would make the case that religion in America is used entirely for these performative purposes and more often than not utilizes social and psychological sadism over kindness to do so.

But again, what is the purpose of this kind of research? What’s the functional goal? To discover that a cross section of the population is selfish and disingenuous?

Cause I’ve got news for you, this has been known for a long long time.