“Manya
Brachear of the Chicago Tribune ... discusses a study by economists
and psychologists at the University of Oregon who found that donating
to charity 'stimulates primitive sources of pleasure in the brain.'”
Homo sapiens is a social animal whose own chances of survival are
enhanced through altruism and cooperation with other members of the
tribe. Thus, individuals who receive immediate gratification ("thank
you", "you're welcome ... mmmm, that makes me feel good") from such
behavior are more likely to survive and propagate their genes, thus
strengthening the trait in the population as a whole. So, indeed, the
pleasure is even more primitive than we can imagine.
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