The Question What drives us to be charitable to strangers when it is costly to ourselves? Researchers investigated the role that the hormone oxytocin plays in regulating our generous behavior. The Method Produced naturally during sexual arousal and childbirth, oxytocin has long been linked to social behaviors. By binding to brain regions associated with emotion, the hormone helps parents bond with children and increases trust. Adding a twist to this story, neuroeconomist Paul Zak of Claremont Graduate University proposed that oxytocin might also play a role in material generosity by promoting the ability to empathize with others.
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