2019/04/08 by Arunas L. Radzvilavicius, Alexander J. Stewart, Joshua B. Plotkin · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Psychology · #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation #Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #Empathy #Reputation #Social psychology #Perspective (graphical) #Simulation theory of empathy #Psychology #Population #Perspective-taking #Sociology #Political science #Computer science #Law
paper · doi:10.7554/elife.44269
openalex publication_date 2019/04/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Social norms can promote cooperation by assigning reputations to individuals based on their past actions. A good reputation indicates that an individual is likely to reciprocate. A large body of research has established norms of moral assessment that promote cooperation, assuming reputations are objective. But without a centralized institution to provide objective evaluation, opinions about an individual's reputation may differ across a population. In this setting we study the role of empathy-the capacity to form moral evaluations from another person's perspective. We show that empathy tends to foster cooperation by reducing the rate of unjustified defection. The norms of moral evaluation previously considered most socially beneficial depend on high levels of empathy, whereas different norms maximize social welfare in populations incapable of empathy. Finally, we show that empathy itself can evolve through social contagion. We conclude that a capacity for empathy is a key component for sustaining cooperation in societies.