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Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful
LifeOctober 20, 2012
Dacher Keltner
University of California, Berkeley
keltner@berkeley.edu
www.greatergoodscience.org
Sympathy BreakthroughsSympathy Breakthroughs(Jonathan Glover, (Jonathan Glover, Humanity)Humanity)•George OrwellGeorge Orwell
•Miklos Nyiszli Miklos Nyiszli
•75% of soldiers refuse to shoot 75% of soldiers refuse to shoot at enemyat enemy
An Evolutionary Conundrum and Parting of Ways •Russel-Wallace: Sympathy created by
God
•Thomas Huxley: A cultural construction
Darwin: Survival of Darwin: Survival of the Kindestthe KindestDarwin argued that Darwin argued that sympathy sympathy ““will have been will have been increased through natural increased through natural selection; for those selection; for those communities, which included communities, which included the greatest number of the the greatest number of the most sympathetic members, most sympathetic members, would flourish best, and rear would flourish best, and rear the greatest number of the greatest number of offspringoffspring””(Darwin, 1871/2004, p.130). (Darwin, 1871/2004, p.130).
Take care or dieTake care or die
A Reliable Signal of Compassion: It’s not in the face
The Vocal Register of Compassion
010
2030
4050
6070
8090
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Amus
emen
tAwe
Compa
ssion
Desire
Enthu
siasm
Iner
est
Gratitu
deLo
ve
Ac
cu
rac
y (
ch
an
ce
= 9
%)
Viral Goodness: The Spread of Compassion•Neonate distress cries
•Emotional, Physiological Convergence in Friends
•Compassion inspires elevation
•Gratitude spreads through networks
•Positive Emotion spreads through communities
•Collective Joys
Tactile Contact: The First Language of Compassion
TouchTouch
•RewardsRewards
•Builds TrustBuilds Trust
•Signals SafetySignals Safety
•SoothesSoothes
Touch and the spread of goodness
Emotion and Touch
0102030
40506070
Fre
qu
ency
Ch
oo
sin
g C
orr
ect
Em
oti
on
Correct Label
Next choice
Coding Touch
Survival of the Kindest: Compassion as an Adaptation Shaped by Natural Selection• Health of offspring
• Sexual Selection
• Social Selection
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
FinancialProspect
Beauty Kindness
Imp
ort
ance
as
mat
e (3
= i
nd
isp
ensa
ble
)
Women
Men
Vagal Superstars
•Richer friendship networks
•More sympathetic prosocial children
•Trusted more in interactions with strangers
Compassion and midbrain Compassion and midbrain periaqueductal grey activationperiaqueductal grey activation
Oxytocin and Oxytocin and
Pro-SocialityPro-Sociality•Monogamy in prairie volesMonogamy in prairie voles
•Secure attachment behaviorsSecure attachment behaviors
•Oxytocin care-taking in mammalsOxytocin care-taking in mammals
•Generosity in humansGenerosity in humansOxytocin and Trust
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Oxytocin Control
% W
ho
Giv
e A
way M
axim
um
Self-less genes Self-less genes Oxytocin Receptor Gene Oxytocin Receptor Gene (rs53576)(rs53576)((Rodrigues, Saslow et al., 2009, Rodrigues, Saslow et al., 2009, PNASPNAS))
Minds in the Eye Empathy Score by OXTR Polymorphism
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5
10
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20
25
30
G/G A/A A/G% w
ron
g i
n g
ues
sin
g e
mo
tio
n
fro
m e
yes
Cynical views of the Cynical views of the nature of good-naturednature of good-natured• The very emphasis of the commandment: The very emphasis of the commandment:
Thou shalt not kill, makes it certain that we Thou shalt not kill, makes it certain that we are descended from an endlessly long chain of are descended from an endlessly long chain of generations of murderers, whose love of generations of murderers, whose love of murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also in oursin ours. Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud
• If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject.of altruism that men have to reject. Ayn Rand Ayn Rand
ConCon’’t…t…
BuddhismBuddhism
• If you want others to be If you want others to be
happy, practice compassion; happy, practice compassion;
if you want to be happy if you want to be happy
practice compassion. practice compassion.
His Holiness the Dalai LamaHis Holiness the Dalai Lama
A Compassion CrisisA Compassion Crisis
0
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Tru
st
in f
ell
ow
cit
izen
s
Deficits in Compassion in Deficits in Compassion in US ChildrenUS Children
02468
101214161820
Child
ren'
s w
ell
-bei
ng
TEN TIPS FOR THE GOOD LIFE
• Connect vs. Isolation Fist bump, back pat, 10 minute mindfulness
• Trust vs. Distrust Describe others in terms of good intentions
• Give vs. Greed Service learning, volunteerism
• Play vs. Aggression Nicknames, wrestling, satirize self
• Appreciate vs. Blame Gratitude diary, Thank You letter
• Optimism vs. Pessimism Delights of small goals
• Acceptance vs. Rejection Speak respectfully; praise effort not ability
• Narrative vs. Suppression Questions, Diaries, Thorns & Roses
• Contemplate vs. Hyperactivity Favorite sayings, count to six breathing exercise
• Sacred vs. Anomie Sacred place, camping, museum, patterns
Greater Good Science Center
www.greatergoodscience.org
Cultivating compassion
•The Breath
•Contemplative traditions
– Loving Kindness meditations
– Richard Davidson, Jon Kabat-Zinn
– Barbara Fredrickson
•Shift in brain chemistry, stronger immune function, cortical control over the amygdala
Cultivating compassion
•The social ethics tradition
– Touch
– Kind speech
– Difficult conversations (Meng: Search Inside of Yourself)
Cultivating Compassion
•The Narrative Tradition
– Family stories (Oliners)
– Concepts in your environment (Shaver)
– Great sayings
– If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion (HHDL)
Cultivating compassion
•The designed environment tradition
– Benefits of nature
– Benefits of art, music
Be part of the compassion revolution…
•TEDx June 11, 2011: http://tedxgoldengateed.org/
•A compassion curriculum
•Greatergood.berkeley.edu
•Emotionmaster.com
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