The neurocognitive foundations of parochial altruism in humans

Résumé

Humans have a strong capacity for cooperation yet, at the same time, create and escalate conflict with often devastating consequences. Here I argue that both tendencies -- to cooperate and to aggress -- can be understood as manifestations of parochial altruism--the tendency to benefit, at a cost to oneself, the group to which one belongs and to fight or derogate rival out-groups. I present novel evidence suggesting that humans are indeed parochial rather than universal altruists, that such parochialism is stronger among individuals with pro-social values, and stronger among those who rely on intuition rather than deliberation. I then explore the neurobiological origins of parochial altruism, focusing on the oxytonergic circuitry involved in fear-regulation and (social) approach.