Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Neurobiology of Cooperation and Altruism

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Origins of Altruism and Cooperation

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR,volume 36))

Abstract

Much of the cooperation and altruism observed in nonhuman animals is directed toward genetic relatives. However, cooperation among non-relatives also occurs, particularly in social mammals such as lions and meerkats, as well as in several species of primates. Most examples of cooperation among non-relatives in nonhuman animals are best explained by mutualism, in which both partners gain immediate benefits from their behavior (Clutton-Brock, 2009b). For example, in wild dogs, cooperation between hunting partners can increase their per capita success in catching or defending prey (Creel and Creel, 2001). An alternative form of cooperation among non-relatives is reciprocal altruism, in which providing assistance has net costs at the time it is provided which are offset by subsequent benefits (Trivers, 1971). One significant difference between mutualism and reciprocal altruism is that selection can favor cheating and exploitation in the latter but not in the former. It may be this barrier to the evolution of reciprocal altruism that accounts for the limited number of documented cases of reciprocal altruism among nonhuman animals. In contrast to the situation in nonhuman animals, however, reciprocal altruism is pervasive in human society (Clutton-Brock, 2009a), as evidenced by massive holiday gift exchanges and by the social debt we feel after having accepted a favor, as reflected in the commonly heard phrase, “I owe you one.” Our penchant for reciprocity is also the very foundation of the division of labor upon which our economy is based.

“There is no duty more indispensable than that of returning a kindness. All men distrust one forgetful of a benefit.”—Cicero

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Baumgartner T, Heinrichs M, Vonlanthen A, Fischbacher U, and Fehr E. 2008. Oxytocin shapes the neural circuitry of trust and trust adaptation in humans. Neuron 58(4):639–650.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bechara A. 2004. The role of emotion in decision-making: evidence from neurological patients with orbitofrontal damage. [Review] [58 refs]. Brain & Cognit 55(1):30–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bechara A, Damasio H, and Damasio AR. 2000. Emotion, decision making and the orbitofrontal cortex. Cerebral Cortex 10(3):295–307.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Born J, Lange T, Kern W, McGregor GP, Bickel U, and Fehm HL. 2002. Sniffing neuropeptides: a transnasal approach to the human brain. Nat Neurosci 5(6):514–516.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock T. 2009a. Cooperation between non-kin in animal societies. Nature 462(7269):51–57.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock T. 2009b. Structure and function in mammalian societies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 364(1533):3229–3242.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cosmides L, and Tooby J. 2000. The cognitive neuroscience of social reasoning. In: Gazzaniga MS (ed.). The new cognitive neurosciences. Champaign, IL: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pp. 1259–1270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig AD. 2002. How do you feel? Interoception: the sense of the physiological condition of the body. Nat Rev Neurosci 3(8):655–666.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Craig AD. 2003. Interoception: the sense of the physiological condition of the body. Curr Opin Neurobiol 13(4):500–505.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Creel S, and Creel NM. 2001. The African wild dog: behavior, ecology and conservation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 360 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Critchley H, Elliot R, Mathias C, and Dolan R. 2000. Neural activity relating to the generation and representation of galvanic skin conductance responses: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. J Neurosci 20(8):3033–3040.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Critchley HD. 2005. Neural mechanisms of autonomic, affective, and cognitive integration. J Comp Neurol 493(1):154–166.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Damasio AR. 1994. Descartes’ error: emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York: G.P. Putnam, xix, 312 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delgado MR, Frank RH, and Phelps EA. 2005. Perceptions of moral character modulate the neural systems of reward during the trust game. Nat Neurosci 8(11):1611–1618.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Quervain DJ, Fischbacher U, Treyer V, Schellhammer M, Schnyder U, Buck A, and Fehr E. 2004. The neural basis of altruistic punishment. Science 305(5688):1254–1258.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dolan RJ. 2000. Emotional processing in the human brain revealed through functional neuroimaging. In: Gazzaniga MS (ed.). The new cognitive neurosciences. Champaign, IL: MIT Press, pp. 1115–1131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberger NI, Lieberman MD, and Williams KD. 2003. Does rejection hurt? An FMRI study of social exclusion. Science 302(5643):290–292.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fehr E, and Fischbacher U. 2003. The nature of human altruism. Nature 425(6960):785–791.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fehr E, and Gachter S. 2002. Altruistic punishment in humans. Nature 415(6868):137–140.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harbaugh WT, Mayr U, and Burghart DR. 2007. Neural responses to taxation and voluntary giving reveal motives for charitable donations. Science 316(5831):1622–1625.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heinrichs M, Baumgartner T, Kirschbaum C, and Ehlert U. 2003. Social support and oxytocin interact to suppress cortisol and subjective responses to psychosocial stress. Biol Psychiatry 54(12):1389–1398.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Henrich J, and Henrich N. 2006. Culture, evolution and the puzzle of human cooperation. Cognit Syst Res 7:220–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kagel JH, Battalio RC, and Green L. 1995. Economic choice theory: an experimental analysis of animal behavior. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • King-Casas B, Tomlin D, Anen C, Camerer CF, Quartz SR, and Montague PR. 2005. Getting to know you: reputation and trust in a two-person economic exchange. Science 308:78–83.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kirsch P, Esslinger C, Chen Q, Mier D, Lis S, Siddhanti S, Gruppe H, Mattay VS, Gallhofer B, and Meyer-Lindenberg A. 2005. Oxytocin modulates neural circuitry for social cognition and fear in humans. J Neurosci 25(49):11489–11493.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kosfeld M, Heinrichs M, Zak PJ, Fischbacher U, and Fehr E. 2005. Oxytocin increases trust in humans. Nature 435(7042):673–676.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kringelbach ML, and Rolls ET. 2004. The functional neuroanatomy of the human orbitofrontal cortex: evidence from neuroimaging and neuropsychology. Prog Neurobiol 72(5):341–372.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy MM, McDonald CH, Brooks PJ, and Goldman D. 1996. An anxiolytic action of oxytocin is enhanced by estrogen in the mouse. Physiol Behav 60(5):1209–1215.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mealey L, Daood C, and Krage M. 1996. Enhanced memory for faces of cheaters. Ethol Sociobiol 17:119–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller E, and Cohen J. 2001. An integrative theory of prefrontal cortex function. Annu Rev Neurosci 24:167–202.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moll J, Krueger F, Zahn R, Pardini M, de Oliveira-Souza R, and Grafman J. 2006. Human fronto-mesolimbic networks guide decisions about charitable donation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103(42):15623–15628.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Montague PR, Dayan P, and Sejnowski TJ. 1996. A framework for mesencephalic dopamine systems based on predictive Hebbian learning. J Neurosci 16(5):1936–1947.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • O’Doherty JP. 2004. Reward representations and reward-related learning in the human brain: insights from neuroimaging. Curr Opin Neurobiol 14(6):769–776.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Panskepp J. 1998. Affective neuroscience: the foundations of human and animal emotions. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ridley M. 1996. The origins of virtue. London: Viking, viii, 295 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rilling JK, Glenn AL, Jairam MR, Pagnoni G, Goldsmith DR, Elfenbein HA, and Lilienfeld SO. 2007. Neural correlates of social cooperation and non-cooperation as a function of psychopathy. Biol Psychiatry 61(11):1260–1271.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rilling JK, Goldsmith DR, Glenn AL, Jairam MR, Elfenbein HA, Dagenais JE, Murdock CD, and Pagnoni G. 2008. The neural correlates of the affective response to unreciprocated cooperation. Neuropsychologia 46:1256–1266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rilling JK, Gutman DA, Zeh TR, Pagnoni G, Berns GS, and Kilts CD. 2002. A neural basis for social cooperation. Neuron 35(2):395–405.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rilling JK, Sanfey AG, Aronson JA, Nystrom LE, and Cohen JD. 2004. Opposing BOLD responses to reciprocated and unreciprocted altruism in putative reward pathways. NeuroReport 15(16):2539–2543.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sanfey AG, Rilling JK, Aronson JA, Nystrom LE, and Cohen JD. 2003. The neural basis of economic decision-making in the ultimatum game. Science 300(5626):1755–1758.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schultz W. 1997. Dopamine neurons and their role in reward mechanisms. Curr Opin Neurobiol 7(2):191–197.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schulz W, Dayan P, and Montague PR. 1997. A neural substrate of prediction and reward. Science 275:1593–1599.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seymour B, O’Doherty JP, Dayan P, Koltzenburg M, Jones AK, Dolan RJ, Friston KJ, and Frackowiak RS. 2004. Temporal difference models describe higher-order learning in humans. Nature 429(6992):664–667.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singer T, Seymour B, O’Doherty J, Kaube H, Dolan RJ, and Frith CD. 2004. Empathy for pain involves the affective but not sensory components of pain.[see comment]. Science 303(5661):1157–1162.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singer T, Seymour B, O’Doherty JP, Stephan KE, Dolan RJ, and Frith CD. 2006. Empathic neural responses are modulated by the perceived fairness of others. Nature 439(7075):466–469.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sober E, and Wilson DS. 1998. Unto others – the evolution and psychology of unselfish behavior. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer M, Fischbacher U, Herrnberger B, Gron G, and Fehr E. 2007. The neural signature of social norm compliance. Neuron 56(1):185–196.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stone VE, Cosmides L, Tooby J, Kroll N, and Knight RT. 2002. Selective impairment of reasoning about social exchange in a patient with bilateral limbic system damage. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99(17):11531–11536.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trivers RL. 1971. The evolution of reciprocal altruism. Q Rev Biol 46:35–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waal FD. 1996. Good natured: the origins of right and wrong in humans and other animals. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 296 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young LJ, Murphy Young AZ, and Hammock EA. 2005. Anatomy and neurochemistry of the pair bond. J Comp Neurol 493(1):51–57.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anthropology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    James K. Rilling

Authors
  1. James K. Rilling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to James K. Rilling .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, 63130, Missouri, USA

    Robert W. Sussman

  2. School of Medicine, Dept. Psychiatry, University of Washington, S. Euclid Ave. 660, St. Louis, 63110, Missouri, USA

    C. Robert Cloninger

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rilling, J.K. (2011). The Neurobiology of Cooperation and Altruism. In: Sussman, R., Cloninger, C. (eds) Origins of Altruism and Cooperation. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects, vol 36. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9520-9_17

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation