Altruism makes us feel good about ourselves, it makes other people respect us more, or it might (so far as we believe) increase our chances of getting into heaven. Or perhaps altruism is an investment strategy — we do good deeds to others in the hope that they will return the favor some day, when we are in need.

Behavior is normally described as altruistic when it is motivated by a desire to benefit someone other than oneself for that person’s sake. The term is used as the contrary of “self-interested” or “selfish” or “egoistic”—words applied to behavior that is motivated solely by the desire to benefit oneself.

Some have suggested that true altruism doesn’t even exist. After all, helping out someone else generally involves some cost or risk to you: either you’re expending Expend (verb) : to spend or use up a resource 1 valuable energy or you’re putting yourself in danger, all for the well being of another.

Definition. Prosocial behavior is voluntary, intentional behavior that results in benefits for another person. Such behavior is considered to be altruistic if it is motivated by a genuine desire to benefit another person, without any expectation of benefits to oneself (Feigin et al. 2014; Eisenberg and Miller 1987).

Prosocial behavior covers the broad range of actions intended to benefit one or more people other than oneself—actions such as helping, comforting, sharing, and cooperation. Altruism is motivation to increase another person’s welfare; it is contrasted to egoism, the motivation to increase one’s own welfare.

Altruism is one aspect of what is known as prosocial behavior. Prosocial behavior refers to any action that benefits other people, no matter what the motive or how the giver benefits from the action.

People often act to benefit other people, and these acts are examples of prosocial behavior. Such behaviors may come in many guises: helping an individual in need; sharing personal resources; volunteering time, effort, and expertise; cooperating with others to achieve some common goals.

I will argue that within the general domain of prosocial behavior, other-oriented actions can be categorized into three distinct types (helping, sharing, and comforting) that reflect responses to three distinct negative states (instrumental need, unmet material desire, and emotional distress).

Over time, prosocial behavior is associated with greater psychological well-being, better social relationships, and better physical health, including greater longevity. Thus, prosocial behavior is valuable for both those who receive help and those who do the helping.

Here are three prosocial behaviors you can use today in your classroom: gratitude, kindness, and empathy.

1. Practicing Gratitude in the Classroom. Gratitude enhances the mood of the sender and the receiver.
2. Encouraging Random Acts of Kindness.
3. Building Empathy Through Happiness Boards.