title: [New insights into the neuroscience of human altruism].
abstract: Numerous honorary initiatives for humanitarian aid towards refugees illustrate the high prevalence of altruistic behavior in the population. In medicine, an exquisite example of a human propensity for altruism is organ donation. Current perspectives on the neurobiology of altruism suggest that it is deeply rooted in the motivational architecture of the social brain. This is reflected by the social evolution of cooperation and parochialism, both of which are modulated by the evolutionarily conserved peptide hormone oxytocin. From a psychiatric perspective, altruism varies along a dimensional spectrum, with pathological hyperaltruism resulting in unexpected harm for oneself and others.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105, Bonn, Deutschland. renehurlemann@icloud.com.|Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105, Bonn, Deutschland. renehurlemann@icloud.com.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hurlemann
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105, Bonn, Deutschland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marsh
mesh_terms: D000533:Altruism; D005858:Germany; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D009462:Neurology / Q000941:ethics*; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D012066:Relief Work / Q000941:ethics*; D012936:Social Medicine / Q000941:ethics*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000941:ethics
keywords: Altruism; Empathy; Evolution; Oxytocin; Punishment