Educational attainment is associated with unconditional helping behaviour.

Autor:	Westlake G; School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, M309, LB 5005, Perth, WA 6001, Australia., Coall D; School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia.; School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia., Grueter CC; School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, M309, LB 5005, Perth, WA 6001, Australia.; Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6001, Australia.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Evolutionary human sciences [Evol Hum Sci] 2019 Dec 11; Vol. 1, pp. e15. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Dec 11 (Print Publication: 2019).
DOI:	10.1017/ehs.2019.16
Abstrakt:	Altruism is a universal human trait, but little is known about its within-population variation. Socio-economic status (SES) has been found to positively impact altruism, but the specific socio-economic variables behind this relationship have remained elusive. This study aimed to determine which facets of SES predict altruism using a lost letter paradigm and a novel lost letter method. Six hundred letters (half dropped on the pavement, half sent to residential addresses) were distributed in 20 suburbs of Perth (Australia) differing in socio-economic variables. Letters distributed in high-SES neighbourhoods were more likely to be returned than letters distributed in low-SES neighbourhoods. Educational attainment and occupation status were the specific socio-economic variables underlying this association, while economic resources and crime rate were not associated with the likelihood of a letter being returned. These results suggest that altruism blossoms in neighbourhoods that are populated with highly educated individuals working in high-status jobs. The relationship between education and prosocial inclinations may be mediated by cognitive ability, self-control and high levels of socialization. Having experienced sustained exposure to norm-abiding models, more educated people may also be better at internalizing cultural norms of helping behaviour, thus creating a more altruistic environment where they reside. Competing Interests: We declare no conflicts of interests. (© The Author(s) 2019 2019.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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