Your Brain on Altruism

The Power of Connection and Community during Times of Crisis

Nicole Karlis

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9780520397613
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Social Psychology
• Index: Psychology

In an era when "self-care" often revolves around consumption and profit, a health and science journalist emphasizes the genuine health advantages of a culture of caring.

Helping others can enhance our physical and mental well-being, boost resilience, and nurture a sense of fulfillment and connection beyond crises. In Your Brain on Altruism, health and science journalist Nicole Karlis delves into the science behind generosity and the benefits of fostering a culture of care for our health. She explores cutting-edge research on the sociology and psychology of altruism, revealing how acts of kindness during crises—such as COVID-19, natural disasters, and wars—inspire people to set aside differences and help one another.
 
Through interviews with innovators creating infrastructures for social connection—from a former entrepreneur leading a social prescribing movement, to doctors prescribing volunteer work and acts of kindness—Karlis shows how we all can contribute to cultivating kindness. A powerful call for a culture of caring, this book urges us to see taking care of one another as a social strength. By embracing this mindset and viewing ourselves as stewards of kindness, we can combat the epidemic of loneliness and build a more compassionate and resilient society.

Table of contents

• Imprint
• Subvention
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Prologue
• I • Caring in Crisis
• II • The Alchemy of Altruism
• III • Sustaining Systemic Caring
• Epilogue
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index