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Your Brain on Altruism
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In an era when "self-care" often revolves around consumption and profit, a health and science journalist emphasizes the genuine health advantages of a culture of caring. Helping others can enhance ...
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11 March 2025

In an era when "self-care" often revolves around consumption and profit, a health and science journalist emphasizes the genuine health advantages of a culture of caring.
Helping others can enhance our physical and mental well-being, boost resilience, and nurture a sense of fulfillment and connection beyond crises. In Your Brain on Altruism, health and science journalist Nicole Karlis delves into the science behind generosity and the benefits of fostering a culture of care for our health. She explores cutting-edge research on the sociology and psychology of altruism, revealing how acts of kindness during crises—such as COVID-19, natural disasters, and wars—inspire people to set aside differences and help one another.
Through interviews with innovators creating infrastructures for social connection—from a former entrepreneur leading a social prescribing movement, to doctors prescribing volunteer work and acts of kindness—Karlis shows how we all can contribute to cultivating kindness. A powerful call for a culture of caring, this book urges us to see taking care of one another as a social strength. By embracing this mindset and viewing ourselves as stewards of kindness, we can combat the epidemic of loneliness and build a more compassionate and resilient society.
Helping others can enhance our physical and mental well-being, boost resilience, and nurture a sense of fulfillment and connection beyond crises. In Your Brain on Altruism, health and science journalist Nicole Karlis delves into the science behind generosity and the benefits of fostering a culture of care for our health. She explores cutting-edge research on the sociology and psychology of altruism, revealing how acts of kindness during crises—such as COVID-19, natural disasters, and wars—inspire people to set aside differences and help one another.
Through interviews with innovators creating infrastructures for social connection—from a former entrepreneur leading a social prescribing movement, to doctors prescribing volunteer work and acts of kindness—Karlis shows how we all can contribute to cultivating kindness. A powerful call for a culture of caring, this book urges us to see taking care of one another as a social strength. By embracing this mindset and viewing ourselves as stewards of kindness, we can combat the epidemic of loneliness and build a more compassionate and resilient society.
Price: $24.95
Pages: 238
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Publication Date:
11 March 2025
Trim Size: 8.50 X 5.50 in
ISBN: 9780520397606
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
“Your Brain on Altruism is a surprising, profound, and urgent book."
Nicole Karlis is a health and science journalist. Her work has been published in Salon, The New York Times, Marie Claire, and The Bold Italic.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue
I · Caring in Crisis
1 The Disaster Effect
2 Bounded Solidarity
3 The Loneliness Crisis
4 The Coregulation Fix
II · The Alchemy of Altruism
5 The Kindness Intervention
6 Better Together
7 The Mālama Mindset
8 Volunteering for All
9 Why Mattering Matters
III · Sustaining Systemic Caring
10 The Power of Empathy
11 Nature’s Fire Extinguisher
12 When You Can’t Give, Witness
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Prologue
I · Caring in Crisis
1 The Disaster Effect
2 Bounded Solidarity
3 The Loneliness Crisis
4 The Coregulation Fix
II · The Alchemy of Altruism
5 The Kindness Intervention
6 Better Together
7 The Mālama Mindset
8 Volunteering for All
9 Why Mattering Matters
III · Sustaining Systemic Caring
10 The Power of Empathy
11 Nature’s Fire Extinguisher
12 When You Can’t Give, Witness
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index