Biology of Successful Goodness

Recently, I spent time with a group of people from diverse backgrounds. We embarked on an expedition to the world’s highest trekkable mountain, without artificial aids such as harnesses. All of them are successful and equally good people. Throughout the trek, I pondered about the secret of what drives goodness and how it leads to success in life. My thinking was guided by three books I had read in the past.?

1.???????????? Fact fullness by Hans Rosling

2.???????????? The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

3.???????????? The Altruistic Urge by Stephanie Preston

The eight-day expedition began in Leh, Ladakh, at 11,500 ft. After two days of acclimatisation, we travelled for six hours by road to reach Karzok village at 15,000 ft, where our trekking started. We hiked to Karzok Phu and then to the base camp at 18,500 ft, and finally, we were supposed to climb Mentok 1 and 2 at 21,000 ft. Unfortunately, my trek had to be cut short as I developed severe acute altitude sickness and had to be evacuated from the base camp.

The daily routine during the trek involves hiking at higher altitudes for about 6-7 hours per day and then sleeping at a lower altitude to facilitate acclimatisation. In the evenings, we gather to share our personal stories and experiences.

We were eleven trekkers, led by Jeet and Tanzen from Eka Expeditions, came from various backgrounds. The group's age ranged from 28 to 65 years. Many were from biotechnology and healthcare fields, but there was also a criminal lawyer from France and a tech professional from Bangalore. Individually, they were all successful in their professions. For instance, Raj works as a VP at a global advisement firm. The young criminal lawyer mentioned that she never had to turn down a client and never lied to win cases, as long as her clients were truthful to her. Sharapova, who spent six months in a Philippines slum at the age of 17, now serves the French Government on public system process optimisation.

Not only are they individually successful, but the organizations they represent are also very successful. For example, Rangan works for an organization that has developed a tech platform to distribute and standardize cancer care, improving access and affordability for thousands of patients in the remote parts of the country. Vasan serves as the operational head of a biotech startup that is on the verge of releasing a new class of antimicrobial treatment to address antibiotic resistance. Eka Experience, a company less than five years old, has earned respect for curating highly professional trekking expeditions for semi-professional and amateur trekkers.?

At a macro level, the world we live in is also a success story of goodness. I’m writing this with all due sensitivity to several atrocities happening around the globe: from the burning of Gaza, fighting in Ukraine, political leaders intentionally ignoring the threat of global warming, the challenges we are facing to regulate the power of AI where “smart” weapons could assassinate anyone anywhere, to the brutal rape and murder of a doctor on duty in a Kolkata hospital.

?Hans Rosling, in his book "Factfulness," analyses the reasons for our negative impression of the world and provides data to support the idea that global development is much better than we tend to think. He shows that our perceptions are often skewed by biases and media sensationalism. He presents data supporting the improvement in measurable key performance indicators such as health, child and maternal mortality, education, economic development, extreme poverty, and death from wars, indicating that the world is becoming a better place. Rosling also demonstrates that the gap between rich and poor nations is rapidly decreasing, leading to a flat world. We must attributes this success to human goodness.

Biologically, goodness as a trait never develops tolerance or reaches a saturation point in the world. There is a need for more goodness every day and we have a responsibility to nurture it, which in turn contributes to our individual success as well as the betterment of the world we live in.

?Successful Goodness:

?Goodness as a quality is formed by the amalgamation of three traits- altruism, empathy, and cooperation; foremost of which is selfless altruism. It is opposed by the trait- selfishness. The good news is that nature favours goodness- the trait that leads to successful individuals, and species and favours natural selection.

?Selfishness:

?The leading advocate of selfishness as the predominant trait is Richard Dawkins. In his book "The Selfish Gene," Dawkins argues that all living beings carry selfish genes, which give them successful characteristics and therefore support natural selection. However, Dawkins himself acknowledges in the epilogue of the 40th-anniversary edition of his book that "Scientists, unlike politicians, can take pleasure in being wrong... The Cooperative Gene would have been an equally fitting title for this book, and the content would not have changed at all. I suspect that many mistaken criticisms could have been avoided."

?Altruism:

?The trait I like to delve into is altruism. Altruism, as defined by Wikipedia, is "the selfless concern for the well-being of others, often involving actions that benefit others at the cost or risk to oneself. It's a desire to help others without expecting anything in return."

?I'd like to reference a lesser-known book, "The Altruistic Urge: Why We Are Driven to Help Others" by Stephanie Preston. In this book, Professor Preston argues that altruism is an instinctual urge that is hardwired in us. According to her, it is a dominant natural trait that leads to success for both individuals and species and favours natural selection. She has demonstrated that this trait exists not only in humans but in all organisms, and it is essential for us to recognise and nurture it in order to counteract selfish behaviour.

?Altruism in action

?I witnessed numerous acts of kindness, both big and small, during our trek. At an altitude of 18,000 ft, even simple tasks like standing up require a lot of effort. I was deeply touched when Rangan carried my backpack to our tent after we reached base camp and I was struggling to breathe, and when Tansen helped another trekker by tying the loose shoelace.

?I’m jotting this memory two days after a near-death experience, in the comfort of Hemis Monastery in Leh, listening to the soothing Buddhist hymns, is an attestation of the power of altruistic urge.

I became acutely short of breath on reaching the base camp at 18,500 ft and collapsed into the tent. My tent partner Rangan summoned help. I was moved to the dining tent. The O2 saturation was recorded at a dangerously low level of 52%, the extremities became cold with a feeble pulse. A sudden role change happened- the only medically trained person in the group, who was supposed to support others,? became the recipient of others' benevolent acts.? With the administration of O2, the saturation came to over 95%, my breathing became normal, and I felt better. Having seen this “pseudo recovery” in the past, Jeet ordered me to be transferred to the valley 3000 ft below where there is availability of some medical help. He didn’t wait for my approval. With the help of two assistants, we left the base camp around 5:00 PM for a long three-hour steep climb down to the valley- the longest three hours of my life (Perhaps, when I get courage, I might narrate the incident in detail in the future).

?While the saturation was normal at rest in the tent, on walking, it dropped to the 60s even with oxygen support. Junior Tansen, a kitchen assistant, carrying the oxygen tank on one shoulder and supporting me in other shoulder, slowly climbed down. The senior Tansen, who is familiar with the terrain, walked ahead of us to ensure that we took the shortest route while avoiding large boulders and deep ravines as time is life and death. I could hear him making logistic arrangements for the pickup truck to meet us at the valley where we were likely to reach and to ensure that the clinic would have medical personnel when we reached there at night. The only communication we had was an erratic BSLN connection. All had to work seamlessly as time is the essence.

?I could see the junior Tansen, a kitchen assistant, watching my breathing pattern and the coherence of my speech (I was unable to complete a sentence). He instructed me to stop walking when my breathing became laboured and adjusted the O2 rate. The half-empty tank had to last the three-hour journey. In the remote mountains, the night falls suddenly and becomes pitch dark very quickly.

?Around three-quarters of the way, I felt like I couldn't go on any longer and was barely able to keep moving. Seeing the truck's headlights at the bottom of the hill, responding to the flashing signal of the Tansen light, was a huge relief. However, it felt like the destination was always just out of reach, like a mirage in the desert. I vaguely recall crossing a stream in the valley before losing consciousness at the sight of a small hill we needed to climb to reach the truck. The two Tansens had to carry me along with the O2 tank to the truck. When I woke up, I was in the truck, going over rocks toward the village. Two nurses were waiting for me at the clinic and took care of me. I was able to be discharged that night and stayed in a village Inn.

The same truck driver drove me for six hours from the village to Leh. The driver, who had done this rescue mission a few times in the past, mentioned that when I did not arrive after two hours of the call, he was worried. The last person who had taken a long time to arrive was a dead body.

For many people who were involved in saving my life- Jeet, Rangan, Vasan, Tansens, truck driver, and nurses, the act was an altruistic “urge”. They didn’t have to think, it came naturally. The inconvenience caused to them or risking their own lives never occurred to them. They didn’t expect anything in return.

The next day, when I woke up in the village inn, Tansen was there to give me ginger coffee. When I said goodbye to the village and tried to give a tip (perhaps more than their monthly salary) to the two Tansens, they were visibly upset and flatly refused. Instead, they gave me a warm hug and said in Nepali, "Jule-Alavida friend".

?What drives people to do altruistic acts:

Preston argues that nothing needs to drive altruism; it's an "urge," an instinct. External forces are unnecessary to drive altruism. She describes an incident in the New York subway where a young man fell onto the track after an epileptic seizure. A person on the opposite platform jumped onto the track, pulled the convulsing person to the middle of the track, and laid on top of him as the train passed over them, saving both. When asked why he did it, the rescuer simply said, "I had to."

Preston also narrates an old experiment where rat pups were separated from their mother. Even when faced with obstacles such as electric wires, mother rats risked their lives to retrieve the pups. What's interesting is that the mother rats not only retrieved their own pups, but also unrelated ones, and even non-raring rats retrieved pups. Altruism is a natural trait that exists across different species.

Certain attributes of both the giver and the recipient enable altruistic behaviour. When someone acts altruistically, they must have a reasonable confidence in their ability to succeed. For instance, in the New York subway incident, the rescuer was a builder who was physically strong and accustomed to working in confined spaces. Subconsciously, his brain quickly calculated that he had the capability to rescue the person on the track, estimating the time before the train reached the platform and the height needed for the train to pass over them. His actions were reflexive and he did not fear the high-voltage line he had to cross or overthink the situation. Moreover, he acted without expecting any reward.

Similarly, the recipient of altruism must possess certain characteristics. For example, in the subway track incident, if the person who had fallen onto the track was in an alcoholic stupor, there might have been less chance for a rescuer to act impulsively. Additionally, as seen in the rat experiment, if the rats to be picked up were grownup rats, there may be less chance for the mother rats to act.

Biologic basis of altruism

The biological basis of altruism is a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, neurological, and evolutionary factors. These together help to explain why individuals might act selflessly for the benefit of others, sometimes at personal cost and risking their lives. Here are some key aspects of the biological basis of altruism:

Every biological action is driven by stimuli. Even altruism is driven by positive biological stimuli, even though the giver doesn't seek any reward. An altruistic act can result in a sense of well-being, positive feelings, and happiness for the doer. All our positive feelings are driven by the prefrontal cortex and the pituitary-hypothalamic axis, which is controlled by four hormones: Endorphin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, and Serotonin.

Altruism stands out among positive feelings because it results in long-term happiness. While actions like exercise can stimulate endorphin release, it is short-lived. Dopamine release is promoted by achieving a goal, like passing an exam, and is also short-lived. Oxytocin release can be promoted by intimate relationships but is also short-lived. Long-term happiness results from activating serotonin receptors, which are observed during selfless acts such as altruism, where one expects nothing in return.

What's interesting is that serotonin receptors do not develop tolerance, unlike the other three "happiness" hormone receptors. This is an essential natural trait not only for the benefit of an individual but also for the evolutionary advantage of the species.

The evolutionary basis of altruism

Cooperation, rather than competition, is the essential trait for the survival of a species. The traits that promote cooperation are empathy and altruism, while selfishness hinders cooperation. In the hunter-gatherer age, humans required collective farming and cooperation to ward off common enemies for survival. This need for cooperation has continued from the industrial age to the current information age. However, with better understanding of nature and our capabilities to modulate nature gives an apparent impression of self-reliance and even a tendency to go against the nature itself. It’s an illusion. Each new developments that diverge from nature, produces conflicts and the aftereffects require further solutions such as the current attempt to develop a multi-planetary human race. Bigger problems require even greater cooperation to find solutions. There is no way for humans, but to depend on the overall goodness (altruism) of humanity for the race to survive.

The Guardian recently published an excerpt from Yuval Harari’s upcoming book, "Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI." In the excerpt, Harari discussed the rapid advancement of AI and refers to it as "Alien Intelligence," cautioning against summoning a power that cannot be controlled. He warns that in the information age, AI has the potential to make decisions independently of humans, potentially without considering human values and goodness. This could lead to a doomsday scenario if actions are taken without the influence of human goodness- a divine trait. Let us hope that human goodness and altruism will ultimately prevail.

How to promote altruism in day-to-day living

According to the Bhagavad Gita, there are two types of acts: Kriya and Karma. Kriya refers to tasks we do for sustenance, either for ourselves or for our dependents. This includes the work we do as part of our professions, such as lawyers, engineers, healthcare professionals, and even the task of parenting. It also applies to institutions such as schools educating children, hospitals caring for patients, and societies helping others in times of crisis. Most of these acts are rewarded. On the other hand, Karma refers to selfless acts for the benefit of others, carried out without expecting rewards. The true definition of Karma is a selfless act for others' benefit in which we do not expect anything in return- altruism.

We need to seek opportunities to perform altruism in our day-to-day living. It can be simple acts I mentioned during the trekking of tying the lase of a fellow trekker. We just have to be sensitive and observant of such opportunities. It will eventually become natural.

Can we nurture altruism?

Altruism, though innate, like any trait, can be nurtured and amplified. It requires fostering an attitude and an environment that encourages selfless behaviour and concern for others. Here are some strategies to promote altruism within our community and organization:

1. Altruism is contagious. Acts of kindness and selflessness carried out by one person are likely to be mimicked by others. A simple act of smiling will be reciprocated. The same goes for opening the door for a fellow passenger.

2. Nurture empathy. Encourage individuals to understand the feelings and perspectives of others. Activities like volunteering and open discussions with people from diverse backgrounds can enhance empathy.

3. Create a culture of altruism within the institution and our society. Acknowledge and reward acts of kindness. Mere acknowledgment can reinforce altruism and inspire others to follow suit, creating an environment conducive to nurturing altruism.

4. Inculcate the habit of altruism early in life and in the establishment of an organization. Incorporate discussions about values like kindness, generosity, fairness, and compassion into education, parenting, and institution building.

5. Actively create opportunities to practice altruism. This may include individual or group activities in community service through organized events, such as school or institutional programs, or family activities.

6. Share stories or case studies of how altruism positively impacts communities and individuals. Knowing that one’s actions can make a difference can inspire others to act.

7. Practice a gratitude mindset. It can enhance the overall well-being of an individual and encourage a perspective that appreciates the needs of others.

8. Encourage teamwork. Create teams of diverse backgrounds and encourage them to cooperate. Give more weightage for success of a team rather than an individual. Cooperating towards a common goal can motivate individuals to act altruistically.

9. Improve understanding of social issues such as inequality and social justice, which can inspire altruistic behaviour.

10. Building a strong, connected community can encourage individuals to look out for one another and engage in altruistic acts as part of a shared responsibility.

Transformation of a Hindu mission hospital, where we have established a community cancer clinic in Cochin city, is a good example of how altruism brought success. This small, dormant hospital, which was struggling to survive among thriving competitive corporate medical facilities, saw a revival when a new medical director joined. Smile was a permanent fixture for him. I’ve never heard him say no to any reasonable requests. Everyone, from the security to senior doctors, developed a positive outlook, though there is limited physical infrastructure, all staff and the patients appears to be contented with the services. Similar to our group, many other new services were added to the hospital, including a new operation theatre complex with all modern facilities, and we started to perform more and more complex procedures. It’s now a thriving hospital, at the same time both the providers and the patients appears to be happy.

Summary:

All the news and media around us make us fearful of the future, but one must realize that humans are intrinsically altruistic. They will go out of their way to protect and care for anyone they can and solve even the most complex problems, which appear insoluble. This divine human goodness needs to be acknowledged and nurtured. It's that which will decide the way humanity progresses.

Inspiration and Further reading

1.???????????? Fact fullness by Hans Rosling

2.???????????? The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

3.???????????? The Altruistic Urge by Stephanie Preston

4.???????????? Sapiens by Uval Harari

5.???????????? Looking forward to reading Nexus: A Brief History of Information Network From Stone Age to AI by Uval Harari