Altruism, egoism, instagram. The physiologist's view on behavior in social networks

If you actively use social networks, then, probably, dozens, if not hundreds, of reposts with culinary recipes, statements of great people, educational videos, inspiring performances of celebrities and, in particular, personal photos appear in your feed every day. Your older relatives, for sure, can boast only a couple of family photos in the best traditions of the Soviet photo studio, one of which is likely to be a wedding, and the other in the family circle. Our reality looks different. Instagram is full of photos with glasses of Starbucks coffee, sushi, new sneakers, gadgets, cats and countless selfies. To all this kilometer tags are added, commensurate with the satirical stories of Zoshchenko. But why do we publish these photos? Why do our moods improve when the number of likes to a post passes over a hundred, and why do we get depressed when friends stint on the approval of the next photogallery?

And evolution is always to blame for everything. In one of his programs, famous British naturalist and TV host David Attenborough said: “There is one ultimate goal - to pass our genes. That is what life is all about. ”I’m sure many will disagree with me if I declare that the meaning of our life comes down only to the transfer of our genes to a future generation. From the point of view of a single person - no, from the point of view of a gene - no doubt.
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The evolutionary principle says - "the fittest survive." This foundation is natural selection. Simply put, it survives and, accordingly, leaves its mark on the gene pool of the population the most intelligent, beautiful, healthy and agile. Of course, in order to pass on genes to a future generation, we need at least two individuals to begin with. Without even noticing it, we commit acts aimed at demonstrating our qualities to all potential partners. The higher our qualities on a certain basis - the higher the probability of mating with their own kind.

Speaking of qualities, I immediately recall a peacock tail, a pumped up male torso and biceps or wide female hips and the desire of the weaker sex to paint lips with red lipstick. In spite of the fact that the most banal examples come to mind (“if this peacock,” the female thinks, “can carry along and so skillfully wield this multi-colored panicle, he is clearly another capable guy!”), There are less obvious actions signaling how distant we are.

A person, by its nature, has a dominant duty towards himself, therefore, the desire to prove himself, show his best side and grab a worthy partner, in order to leave his genetic mark on the population in the long run, is nothing but egoism. And selfishness creates competition among individuals. What are the examples of personal qualities associated with competition and natural selection? First, it is a demonstration of physical qualities (eg, strength, flexibility, speed), health (disease resistance as an indicator of a strong immune system), external anatomical features, such as symmetry of the face, body, height, weight, size of the genitals, etc. d. Secondly, one of the significant features in modern society is also intellectual development. We admire artists, poets, designers, musicians and even millionaires, subconsciously associating them with those who are more adapted to the environment through an indicator of the success of their qualities. The development and support of these features requires energy expenditure, additional efforts and health, which indicates that this individual is more successful in comparison with others in the long term.

So what's up with Instagram? In the modern world, as it turned out, social networks are a good tool for demonstrating your Ego in all its glory. Tens, hundreds and even millions of people can demonstrate themselves with just one click. Repost “Crispy pancakes with cottage cheese” read as “I can and love to cook, it means that I am a good hostess,” writing on the wall with Kant's quote seems to shout: “Hey, I understand philosophy, and that means I rich inner world ", a selfie with a glass from Starbucks demonstrates:" I can afford cool coffee for 5 bucks, and not a burda like Nescafe from a vending machine. " Putting photos taken from the airplane window on social networks we deliberately do not sign it, waiting for someone to ask in the comments about the direction of the flight, and we, reluctantly, throw back: “Yes, life is boring and sulfur, decided to fly over the weekend to sunny Prague ", which means:" I have money for traveling, I'm a cool woman. " In 90% of cases, we go to the gallery to enjoy not paintings and sculptures, but to populate in order to show everyone that we are not without a sense of beauty and understand the art, which means we have an advantage. Wherever we go, wherever we take selfies - this is all a demonstration of our egoism and competition, the desire to show that I am a person, I am better than others.

But what about those who write posts about abandoned animals, who help (read: makes reposts) to seriously ill people, children of Africa and the homeless? True altruism, right? Not really. We know that altruism is self-sacrifice, selfless deeds for the benefit of others, to the detriment of themselves. But what about the mother who gives the last piece of bread to her child instead of eating him himself, filled with those selfish motives? The answer is not so obvious and simple, but it comes down to the fact that the child has the mother's genes, which she passes through her child. And this is the +1 probability to leave a genetic mark in history. Usually, doing something for someone we say: “Oh, yes, nothing, it's not difficult for me!”, But in fact we mean that if not now, but in the future we will be rewarded with a reciprocal service. This is called reciprocal altruism, or the principle of "you to me, I to you." Also, there is the concept of indirect reciprocity. This includes so-called good deeds. By donating a large amount of money to charity, helping the homeless and sick, we demonstrate altruistic behavior as a means of improving our own reputation and status.

But what about those actions that we do not tell anyone? In any case, performing an act of mercy, we get moral satisfaction, which is a self-serving motive, an increase in a sense of self-importance. And this is the manifestation of the purest egoism. Of course, true altruism exists, it is noteworthy that it is devoid of any motivation, unlike the cases described above, but it has nothing to do with the topic of our behavior in social networks. For those who want to get acquainted with the concept of true altruism, as well as, to delve deeper into the topic of egoism and altruism in nature, I recommend the book by Matt Ridley “The Origin of Altruism and Virtue. From instincts to cooperation .

From all this it follows that our behavior in social networks is partly an innocuous game “Choose me”, driven by deep mechanisms of evolution.

So what now to do with all this? You should not completely abandon social networks and scold yourself for selfishness, but perhaps you should learn to show your qualities so that they evoke true admiration from a contemplator and refrain from wanting to take a picture of your eggs for breakfast.