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The motivation to sacrifice for a cause reflects a basic cognitive bias

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 December 2018

Christopher Y. Olivola
Christopher Y. Olivola*
Affiliation:
Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. [email protected]://sites.google.com/site/chrisolivola/
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Abstract

Many extreme forms of self-sacrifice occur without identity fusion or out-group threats. For example, people willingly participate in extreme charity fundraisers – exerting effort, enduring pain, and risking bodily injury – to advance desired causes. Therefore, it seems plausible that the motivation to engage in extreme self-sacrifice reflects a basic cognitive bias, rather than an evolutionary-cultural adaption specifically designed for intergroup conflict.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 41 , 2018 , e212
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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