According to Dacher Keltner, a psychologist at the University of California, humans are wired to be nice to others.
It's impossible to browse through the news without coming across stories of violence. Amid all the negativity, it turns out humans are actually wired to be nice.
University of California at Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner is trying to let people know that we're meant to be kind.
A 2010 study done by Keltner and his colleagues found that when a person experiences pain, the periaqueductal gray part of the brain lights up. When another person witnessed this emotion, the same area in their brain lit up too.
This also activated a response from the vagus nerve, which is the longest group of nerves within the nervous system, spanning from brain down to the abdomen.
Part of Keltner's study references Charles Darwin's "The Descent of Man," which emphasizes that sympathy is one of the strongest instincts humans have.
Their research also found that empathy can be blocked from this part of the brain by various factors, including money.
According to Keltner, the poor are more likely to be compassionate than the rich.
Along with activating the vagus nerve, acts of kindness also trigger the release of endorphins, which make a person feel good.
The research shows that while being nice is intrinsically part of us, it's a matter of whether or not we act on it.
