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Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

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Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012. Dacher Keltner University of California, Berkeley [email protected] www.greatergoodscience.org. Sympathy Breakthroughs (Jonathan Glover, Humanity). George Orwell Miklos Nyiszli 75% of soldiers refuse to shoot at enemy. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012
Page 2: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful

LifeOctober 20, 2012

Dacher Keltner

University of California, Berkeley

[email protected]

www.greatergoodscience.org

Page 3: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Sympathy BreakthroughsSympathy Breakthroughs(Jonathan Glover, (Jonathan Glover, Humanity)Humanity)•George OrwellGeorge Orwell

•Miklos Nyiszli Miklos Nyiszli

•75% of soldiers refuse to shoot 75% of soldiers refuse to shoot at enemyat enemy

Page 4: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

An Evolutionary Conundrum and Parting of Ways •Russel-Wallace: Sympathy created by

God

•Thomas Huxley: A cultural construction

Page 5: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Darwin: Survival of Darwin: Survival of the Kindestthe KindestDarwin argued that Darwin argued that sympathy sympathy ““will have been will have been increased through natural increased through natural selection; for those selection; for those communities, which included communities, which included the greatest number of the the greatest number of the most sympathetic members, most sympathetic members, would flourish best, and rear would flourish best, and rear the greatest number of the greatest number of offspringoffspring””(Darwin, 1871/2004, p.130). (Darwin, 1871/2004, p.130).

Page 6: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Take care or dieTake care or die

Page 7: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

A Reliable Signal of Compassion: It’s not in the face

Page 8: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

The Vocal Register of Compassion

Page 9: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

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Page 10: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Viral Goodness: The Spread of Compassion•Neonate distress cries

•Emotional, Physiological Convergence in Friends

•Compassion inspires elevation

•Gratitude spreads through networks

•Positive Emotion spreads through communities

•Collective Joys

Page 11: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Tactile Contact: The First Language of Compassion

Page 12: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

TouchTouch

•RewardsRewards

•Builds TrustBuilds Trust

•Signals SafetySignals Safety

•SoothesSoothes

Page 13: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Touch and the spread of goodness

Emotion and Touch

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Page 14: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Coding Touch

Page 15: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Survival of the Kindest: Compassion as an Adaptation Shaped by Natural Selection• Health of offspring

• Sexual Selection

• Social Selection

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Page 16: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Vagal Superstars

•Richer friendship networks

•More sympathetic prosocial children

•Trusted more in interactions with strangers

Page 17: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012
Page 18: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012
Page 19: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Compassion and midbrain Compassion and midbrain periaqueductal grey activationperiaqueductal grey activation

Page 20: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Oxytocin and Oxytocin and

Pro-SocialityPro-Sociality•Monogamy in prairie volesMonogamy in prairie voles

•Secure attachment behaviorsSecure attachment behaviors

•Oxytocin care-taking in mammalsOxytocin care-taking in mammals

•Generosity in humansGenerosity in humansOxytocin and Trust

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Oxytocin Control

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Page 21: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Self-less genes Self-less genes Oxytocin Receptor Gene Oxytocin Receptor Gene (rs53576)(rs53576)((Rodrigues, Saslow et al., 2009, Rodrigues, Saslow et al., 2009, PNASPNAS))

Minds in the Eye Empathy Score by OXTR Polymorphism

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Page 22: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Cynical views of the Cynical views of the nature of good-naturednature of good-natured• The very emphasis of the commandment: The very emphasis of the commandment:

Thou shalt not kill, makes it certain that we Thou shalt not kill, makes it certain that we are descended from an endlessly long chain of are descended from an endlessly long chain of generations of murderers, whose love of generations of murderers, whose love of murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also murder was in their blood as it is perhaps also in oursin ours. Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud

• If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject.of altruism that men have to reject. Ayn Rand Ayn Rand

ConCon’’t…t…

Page 23: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

BuddhismBuddhism

• If you want others to be If you want others to be

happy, practice compassion; happy, practice compassion;

if you want to be happy if you want to be happy

practice compassion. practice compassion.

His Holiness the Dalai LamaHis Holiness the Dalai Lama

Page 24: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

A Compassion CrisisA Compassion Crisis

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Page 25: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Deficits in Compassion in Deficits in Compassion in US ChildrenUS Children

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Page 26: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

TEN TIPS FOR THE GOOD LIFE

• Connect vs. Isolation Fist bump, back pat, 10 minute mindfulness

• Trust vs. Distrust Describe others in terms of good intentions

• Give vs. Greed Service learning, volunteerism

• Play vs. Aggression Nicknames, wrestling, satirize self

• Appreciate vs. Blame Gratitude diary, Thank You letter

• Optimism vs. Pessimism Delights of small goals

• Acceptance vs. Rejection Speak respectfully; praise effort not ability

• Narrative vs. Suppression Questions, Diaries, Thorns & Roses

• Contemplate vs. Hyperactivity Favorite sayings, count to six breathing exercise

• Sacred vs. Anomie Sacred place, camping, museum, patterns

Greater Good Science Center

www.greatergoodscience.org

Page 27: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Cultivating compassion

•The Breath

•Contemplative traditions

– Loving Kindness meditations

– Richard Davidson, Jon Kabat-Zinn

– Barbara Fredrickson

•Shift in brain chemistry, stronger immune function, cortical control over the amygdala

Page 28: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Cultivating compassion

•The social ethics tradition

– Touch

– Kind speech

– Difficult conversations (Meng: Search Inside of Yourself)

Page 29: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Cultivating Compassion

•The Narrative Tradition

– Family stories (Oliners)

– Concepts in your environment (Shaver)

– Great sayings

– If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion (HHDL)

Page 30: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Cultivating compassion

•The designed environment tradition

– Benefits of nature

– Benefits of art, music

Page 31: Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life October 20, 2012

Be part of the compassion revolution…

•TEDx June 11, 2011: http://tedxgoldengateed.org/

•A compassion curriculum

•Greatergood.berkeley.edu

•Emotionmaster.com