Allow me to paint you a picture: There’s a wonderful, selfless woman who does everything in her power to help others. She has fame and stardom and everything she could ever want at her fingertips—but she chooses to dedicate her life to charity, to use her platform for the betterment of the world. This, ladies and gents, is Ellen DeGeneres: one of the many faces of altruism.
Altruism is characterized by selflessness and concern for the well-being of others. Those who possess this quality typically put others first and truly care about the people around them, whether they have a personal tie to them or not. Ellen DeGeneres demonstrates the essence of this quality every single day on her show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The comedian and philanthropist stays up to date on what’s happening in the world and then lends her efforts and donates money to those who truly need it and deserve it. She teaches the importance of generosity and truly illustrates the power of the wonderful quality that is altruism.
Characteristics of the Generosity Trait: Altruism
There are a few tell-tale signs that someone possesses this trait. If the following descriptions sound an awful lot like yourself, chances are you’re altruistic just like Ellen:
1) You put others first.
You give your snack to your coworker even though you’re hungry too. You give up your spot in the movie theater for the group that needs an extra seat. You use your lunch break to help your friend with her work. Whatever the case is, you put others first—not because you think you’re less deserving, but simply because you’re innately thoughtful and prefer to prioritize the wellbeing of others.
2) You think about how your actions will affect others.
For example, you get super excited when you find out that your favorite fast food restaurant now has an app that allows you to place your order ahead of time and skip the line. But then you realize how annoying that is for the people who waited their turn in line—their own orders will get held up because the employees will have to prioritize your order. You decide against using the app and wait in line with everyone else, simply because you don’t want to inconvenience anyone.
3) You feel good after helping someone.
Altruistic individuals don’t despise how generous they are or wish that they catered more to themselves—instead, they embrace their selflessness and they love how it makes them feel. These people like to do good for others.
4) You’re proactive.
You don’t wait for the perfect opportunities to be selfless and help—you create them. You volunteer in your community, you donate money to current relief efforts, and you offer your help before someone asks for it.
5) You possess and display a healthy degree of self-confidence.
You are so sure in your morals and beliefs that you very rarely question yourself or experience self-doubt. You know that you’re living by an amazing ideation and that you’re truly making the lives of those around you better—and let’s not forget, it makes your life better as well.
Why Are Some People More Altruistic Than Others?
We can’t all be an Ellen DeGeneres. In fact, some of us are pretty far off from being like this do-gooder. Why is that? While researchers aren’t exactly sure, there is evidence that suggests our brain functions influence how altruistic and selfless we may be, according to Walden University.
A recent study conducted at Georgetown University found that people who demonstrate strong altruism actually have a more active (and sometimes larger) right amygdala, which is a part of the brain essential to our feeling and perceiving emotions, especially fear. This finding hints at a possible link between altruism and the neurologically-driven capacity to observe fear and empathize with this fear in others. Psychology researcher Abigail Marsh explains this concept further in her TED Talk on altruism:
How Can I Be More Altruistic?
While there is evidence that altruism is linked to brain functioning and greater compassion, there are ways for individuals who don’t innately possess the quality to adapt more selfless behavior. Just follow these three simple steps:
1. Spread the love. As we previously touched on, altruism is characterized by helping others. So start by simply spreading the love. Be positive, be kind, and be helpful—it goes an awful long way.
2. Serve your community. Do you know what’s going on in your community? If you don’t, find out and then get involved. Make cookies for the bake sale, volunteer at the animal shelter, help raise money to fix up the school. It’s simple—figure out where your efforts are needed and then lend them.
3. Reap and enjoy the benefits. When you do something good for someone, it’s natural to feel good about yourself. So don’t push these feelings away, accept and enjoy them! This will make you feel more inclined to continue your efforts. Besides, feeling a rush of joy upon helping another is characteristic of altruism—it’s a good thing, not a sign of selfishness.
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Taylor Bennett
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Hey Ariana its alright you are a good person keep doing what you are doing! Dont ever give up help everyone! But also put care into yourself aswell you derserve many happiness too. Well its good that you attract “broken ones” you are fixing them or you are trying to. its great eitherway dont give up! Also dont be nervous you can always do it you are strong! God loves everyone and also you dont forget that. 😀
From total stranger
I am currently in a drug rehab apparently me doing these things is becoming a bad thing I don’t know is it a bad thing what am I to do
Take care of yourself first, then that will come. As the Great RuPaul says,
“If you don’t love yourself, how you gonna love anybody else.” Since you are in rehab if you are truly, committed and deeply, painfully honest with yourself and selected others, ( be careful) you will begin to see and appreciate yourself. This is not selfishness, it is the beginning of a lifelong journey. Getting clean is really the scab on the wounds. The deep pain of what caused the addiction is the source of the pain. Addiction is but a symptom of the underlying problem. Do EXACTLY what the big book says. No fooling around. The life you save may be your own. ☮️ ❤️???
For me, i don’t have a lot of self confidence. But everything else is true that was written there. I’m selfless, always thinking of how others feel, being there for everyone else, putting others first. I never really think of myself. When it comes around the holidays, i end up getting gifts for everyone else, even though i don’t get any gifts from friends much. Even with cards, i try to find the most perfect one, and add my own message. Ive had depression for about 5 or 6 years now, and at a couple points, it had gotten very bad. For some reason, i always attract the broken ones, or those struggling with mental illnesses, etc as well, like depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts. Kind of like me. But i always help them, i always give them advice. I’m basically the therapist in my small friend group. I always feel misunderstood. But i read everyone else so easily. I hate opening up to people bc i know i’ll just get hurt or be betrayed. I’m there for everyone else, but not many are there for me.
You just described me exactly only I go to the extreme to a fault but still don’t feel like I’m doing enough for others. I literally will go with no electricity to pay someone else’s. Or not pay my own fines to pay someone else’s and end up in trouble simply because I don’t have the ability to do for myself. I put the wants of others before the needs of my own. I feel like I’m betraying who I am if I do try to take care of my own needs. It’s quite disabling when you get to the point of being unable to make it on my own because I am always doing for others. This is my life. There’s gotta be a balance but I’m still trying to find it. Sorry I didn’t mean to write a book. But truly would like to get a little feedback if anyone has any thoughts
@vera M Jones
Hi, your comment made me smile. You sound like me. Over the years I learnt to hold back and to teach myself how to live more ‘functionally’. Sometimes being altruistic can make you ‘dysfunctional’ because if you aren’t meeting the needs and demands of your life then you are being unkind to yourself. In addition if the person you are helping doesn’t care if you can afford your fine then something has to be wrong there. Why? The last thing you want is for your actions to make you vulnerable and a ‘victim’ to life and then seeking help from others who didn’t care if you could pay your fine in the first place. I believe in God and I believe He gave us our bodies and lives to take care of as well as to take care of others. In my mind to not take care of your body or life is neglect. You have to LEARN to prioritise yourself and your basic needs even if it doesn’t come to you naturally. Unfortunately the world isn’t as kind to you as you are therefore to passively place yourself in a position where you haven’t got electricity or you can’t pay fines isn’t healthy as the world will only blame you for not being wise before being kind.
The other thing I learnt is you can’t pour from an empty cup or you can’t heal the world when you are broken. So fill your cup first then pour from it as abundantly as you’d like.
Ariana,
I don’t usually do this comment thing too often so I really don’t know what to say or what I’m even going to say or why im saying anything at all other than I related to everything that you said. I’m in tears right now after reading it and want to cry even more. I don’t possess an extreme amount of altruism maybe because I make so many poor life decisions. I too suffer with depression,Suicidal Thoughts and some attempts, adicction,anxiety, lonliness, unworthiness and I love and forgive to a fault. I like doing things for other people and I can give advice to others like you said you could as well have the hardest time taking it myself seems like any man in my life that ever treated me good like my dad, ny youngest daughters dad and another boyfriend are all dead if they or a man ever treated me good and never hit me or anything they’ve all died.other than them I attract crazy and toxic just got out of a bad relationship and I loved that man and forgave that man unconditionally and he wouldn’t or couldn’t do the same for me. but he was very good at like torturing my mind and emotions and feelings in every way hitting me accusing me of doing things I wasn’t and blaming me for everything land never truly openING his heart or mind do you how badly he was affecting me and hurting me there are so many things I just don’t understand and I guess I never will because I will not ever get the answers through him cuz I feel he might be a bit of a narcissist the sad thing is if you’re everything in all the pain is it I still care about him crazy Huh. I just don’t know why I am like I am why I have the worst luck in the world why I can’t change why can’t you better why can’t get it together sometimes I feel cursed if it wasn’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have any there’s any possibility of something to happen it’ll happen to me she’s crazy ever even have had people that were around me for a little while you like oh my God Heather you know like noticing these things I always feel so unimportant you know all I do things for other people if I can and it makes me feel good but I always feel unimportant in the end I had to work like in the friendship in Department always put in more that I was more important to me it means more to me than it does them I feel I’m always second choice last pick you know the whole nine yards I feel like a loner at time I feel like it would be better if I was around your not like shoulder unimportant everyone would be better off without me and you can move on without me and it wouldn’t matter what’s crazy to me I have felt these feelings some of them as far back as I can possibly remember why would someone so teeny so young and small someone like in kindergarten even why would they feel some of these feelings at such a young age when they’re still in young and innocent I should have got those things in life and I don’t understand why I’ve never been able to get rid of them not completely anyways I just don’t think that I’m never going to truly find happiness in love and have a family life if I had some of that just was me completely loves me you just me forever just like I am not meant for that to happen in my life and I don’t know why and sometimes it’s my fault that things are screwed up and I don’t know why I let that happen when it’s something that I’ve always wanted sometimes it makes me think of that Bible story where the guy continuously said I want to do right but I do wrong and if I don’t know why I do wrong what I always do wrong you know any goes on and on about it but it kind of reminds me of when I think about it and I guess I leave with that cuz I don’t know what else to say and I’m don’t know where I was even going with all this and I’m just making me cry I wish you all the best I hope you find your peace in your happy you seem like a really great person that is deserving of it take care thanks for listening to and letting me vent
Dear writer,
The first paragraphs of your article assisted me for a research that I am doing, thank you for that.
However, I stoped reading when I saw a picture of a black child in the arms of a white woman. As a Black person myself, I felt demoralized after seeing that picture. To me it sends the wrong message, the white person is altruistic and woman is a savior. I ended up questioning altruism itself instead of focusing on what I was researching.
Perhaps you want to think of another picture.
Best wishes with your writing
Rugare
Funny isn’t it, when you look at a photo and think about that picture formulating in your mind, and then what it reveals about the people in the photo and more importantly, what it reveals about you. Think on that!
Fantastic! I was just thinking how best to respond, now i have no need
Certainly you could have chosen a better example of altruism than Elen Degenerate!
While wildly popular I just don’t discern that from her, yet I did glean the crux of your message.
Shes horrible to work with.