POLITICS
will not work for everyone, but for some it will be more helpful than
receiving government entitlements.
There is also an emotional benefit for the giver. The hedonistic par-
adox states that people who seek happiness for themselves will not find
it, but people who help others will. Altruism has been associated with
greater well-being, health, and longevity. There is even evidence that
helping others slows down aging at the cellular level. Researchers in
the Department of Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University sug-
gest that the benefits of altruism may derive from “deeper and more
positive social integration, distraction from personal problems and the
anxiety of self-preoccupation, enhanced meaning and purpose in life,
and a more active lifestyle.” These are benefits that can’t be achieved
by merely paying taxes.
If policy directs more resources to the poor, and charity adds addi-
tional benefits, why not just do both? The problem is that dopamine
and H&N neurotransmitters generally oppose each other, which cre-
ates an either/or problem. People who support government assistance
for the poor (a dopaminergic approach) are less likely to give (an H&N
approach) and vice versa.
The University of Chicago’s General Social Survey has been
tracking trends, attitudes, and behaviors in American society since
- One section of the survey asks questions about income inequal-
ity. The results showed that Americans who strongly oppose redistri-
bution by government to address this problem gave 10 times more to
charity than those who strongly support government action: $1,627
annually versus $140. Similarly, compared to people who want more
welfare spending, those who believe that the government spends too
much money on welfare are more likely to give directions to someone
on the street, return extra change to a cashier, and give food or money
to a homeless person. Almost everyone wants to help the poor. But
depending on whether they have a dopaminergic or H&N personality,
they will go about it in different ways. Dopaminergic people want the
poor to receive more help, while H&N people want to provide personal
help on a one-to-one basis.
