Aristotle recognised that 'Man is a social animal' as early as the 4th century BC. Few psychological dimensions are as vital, as fruitful and at the same time as complex as trusting another person, as depositing part of ourselves in another person. H.L. Mencken said: "It is mutual trust, rather than mutual interest, that keeps human groups together". Prosociality is a social behaviour that benefits other people or society. It is usually referred to as “altruism” (from the Latin alter, other), which is the ability, inclination, desire, willingness, to take an interest in the welfare of one's fellow human beings. The term “altruism” is not dissimilar to the Greek term “philanthropy” (the disposition of the soul to humanitarian initiatives that translates into activities to achieve them). A society without solidarity is likely to collapse. If gift-giving is an antidote to this risk, we must deeply understand its value and how it works. Giving is a social action and - as such - is covered by evolutionary, neurobiological, psychological, and social determinants that qualify human altruism.
(Neuro)psychology and neurobiology of giving has been interested in the psychological aspects behind it (such as personal predisposition, decision-making, empathy, metacognitive-executive functions, and social dynamics) and the neural correlates underlying these functions.
How can philanthropists and charities benefit from Neuroscience of how we learn? Scientists are trying to change our understanding of the decision to donate and the factors that make us more likely to be generous. By understanding what motivates us to be philanthropic, they hope to maximize the rewards that both donors and recipients get from giving and to Highlight the benefits at the level of psychophysical health resulting from the act of giving. Researchers develop experiments to reveal the underlying motivations for helping others, including recording brain activity using advance functional neuroimaging. Donating seems to stimulate the brain's "reward regions" and results in a "warm glow" that lasts longer than the satisfaction we feel when we buy material items.
The Research Topic aims to address the anthropological, psychological, neurobiological, and social aspects of prosociality and altruistic behaviours, as well as the influences that they have on philanthropic behaviour. We invite experts from cognitive, experimental, and social neuroscience, computational neuroscience, neurology, neuropsychology, neurophysiology, psychology, psychophysiology, psychiatry, public health, sociology, and economics.
We encourage researchers who use various methods, such as neuroimaging, psychophysiology, artificial intelligence, ICT-IoT, qualitative and quantitative research methods, assessment tools. In addition to the original empirical contributions, theoretical paper such as meta-analysis, reviews, mini-reviews, perspective, opinion, commentary are also promoted.
Aristotle recognised that 'Man is a social animal' as early as the 4th century BC. Few psychological dimensions are as vital, as fruitful and at the same time as complex as trusting another person, as depositing part of ourselves in another person. H.L. Mencken said: "It is mutual trust, rather than mutual interest, that keeps human groups together". Prosociality is a social behaviour that benefits other people or society. It is usually referred to as “altruism” (from the Latin alter, other), which is the ability, inclination, desire, willingness, to take an interest in the welfare of one's fellow human beings. The term “altruism” is not dissimilar to the Greek term “philanthropy” (the disposition of the soul to humanitarian initiatives that translates into activities to achieve them). A society without solidarity is likely to collapse. If gift-giving is an antidote to this risk, we must deeply understand its value and how it works. Giving is a social action and - as such - is covered by evolutionary, neurobiological, psychological, and social determinants that qualify human altruism.
(Neuro)psychology and neurobiology of giving has been interested in the psychological aspects behind it (such as personal predisposition, decision-making, empathy, metacognitive-executive functions, and social dynamics) and the neural correlates underlying these functions.
How can philanthropists and charities benefit from Neuroscience of how we learn? Scientists are trying to change our understanding of the decision to donate and the factors that make us more likely to be generous. By understanding what motivates us to be philanthropic, they hope to maximize the rewards that both donors and recipients get from giving and to Highlight the benefits at the level of psychophysical health resulting from the act of giving. Researchers develop experiments to reveal the underlying motivations for helping others, including recording brain activity using advance functional neuroimaging. Donating seems to stimulate the brain's "reward regions" and results in a "warm glow" that lasts longer than the satisfaction we feel when we buy material items.
The Research Topic aims to address the anthropological, psychological, neurobiological, and social aspects of prosociality and altruistic behaviours, as well as the influences that they have on philanthropic behaviour. We invite experts from cognitive, experimental, and social neuroscience, computational neuroscience, neurology, neuropsychology, neurophysiology, psychology, psychophysiology, psychiatry, public health, sociology, and economics.
We encourage researchers who use various methods, such as neuroimaging, psychophysiology, artificial intelligence, ICT-IoT, qualitative and quantitative research methods, assessment tools. In addition to the original empirical contributions, theoretical paper such as meta-analysis, reviews, mini-reviews, perspective, opinion, commentary are also promoted.
