Definition
The act of producing a benefit to a recipient generates a cost to the behaver.
Introduction
Natural selection may only favor behaviors that benefit the organism performing them. However, altruistic acts, where an individual pay a cost to produce a benefit to another, are widespread in nature. Seen in isolation, altruistic acts may seem counterproductive, and selection should pressure against them. But when analyzed in a wider perspective, including variables such as kinship, reciprocity, reputation, altruistic punishment, and so on, altruistic behavior turns to be a case of reciprocal interaction with benefits to both sides. One of the key features in this wider analysis is the cost-to-benefit analysis.
Cost and Benefit Toward Kin and Nonkin
It is possible to define costs and benefits as states or resources that an...
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Vasconcelos, I.G. (2020). Altruism and Costs to Altruist. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3526-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3526-1
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