Why we lie to ourselves every day

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Human action requires motivation, but what exactly are those motivations? Donating money to a charity might be motivated by altruism, and yet, only 1% of donations are anonymous. Donors don’t just want to be altruistic, they also want credit for that altruism plus badges to signal to others about their altruistic ways.

Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson. Oxford University Press, 2018

Published November 13, 2018

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