Selfhood and the Unity of Consciousness

The focus of my summer research was a philosophical investigation of the concept of selfhood incorporating an emphasis on the physical realities of the brain, in particular bi-hemispheric communication between the right and left hemispheres via the neural pathway known as the Corpus Callosum. Working within the theoretical framework of Derek Parfit the present research explored the question of selfhood by maintaining a focus on the unity of consciousness we all associate with the singular nature of the self. The theory of conscious unity--or the idea that at any one time all our phenomenal experiences are unified by the fact that there is a single subject of experience—has been contested by the emergence of certain neuropsychological discoveries concerning communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Specifically, laboratory experiments conducted on brain bisected patients (individuals who had their Corpus Callosum severed) yielded interesting results which have led some theorists to speak of a “duality of consciousness.” The present research focused on these findings and their implications for personal identity and concluded that what was revealed by these experiments was not a duality of consciousness, but rather that the existence of a persistent unified self a falsehood

Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor

© 2018 The Authors. Do acts of kindness improve the well-being of the actor? Recent advances in the behavioural sciences have provided a number of explanations of human social, cooperative and altruistic behaviour. These theories predict that people will be ‘happy to help’ family, friends, community members, spouses, and even strangers under some conditions. Here we conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the experimental evidence that kindness interventions (for example, performing ‘random acts of kindness’) boost subjective well-being. Our initial search of the literature identified 489 articles; of which 24 (27 studies) met the inclusion criteria (total N = 4045). These 27 studies, some of which included multiple control conditions and dependent measures, yielded 52 effect sizes. Multi-level modeling revealed that the overall effect of kindness on the well-being of the actor is small-to-medium (δ = 0.28). The effect was not moderated by sex, age, type of participant, intervention, control condition or outcome measure. There was no indication of publication bias. We discuss the limitations of the current literature, and recommend that future research test more specific theories of kindness: taking kindness-specific individual differences into account; distinguishing between the effects of kindness to specific categories of people; and considering a wider range of proximal and distal outcomes. Such research will advance our understanding of the causes and consequences of kindness, and help practitioners to maximise the effectiveness of kindness interventions to improve well-being

Does Helping Promote Well-being in At-risk Youth and Ex-offender Samples?

Numerous theories attempt to explain humans\u27 extraordinary prosociality, but predictions are rarely tested among antisocial individuals, whose dampened concern for others offers a particularly strong test of generalizability for prosocial action. To build upon past research demonstrating the emotional benefits of prosociality among non-offending populations and broaden our understanding of how far this relationship may extend, we examined whether the emotional benefits of prosocial spending are detectable in samples of delinquent youth and recent criminal offenders reporting elevated antisocial tendencies and psychopathic personality features. Findings reveal that, controlling for baseline happiness, ex-offenders (N = 501) report greater positive affect after recalling a time they spent money on others than after recalling a time they spent money on themselves. Similarly, delinquent youth (N = 64) and ex-offenders (N = 777) randomly assigned to purchase an item for a needy child reported greater positive affect than those who purchased an item for themselves. Finally, a large pre-registered replication (N = 1295) suggests the immediate emotional benefits of prosocial spending are detectable among ex-offenders when controlling for baseline happiness. Together, these findings demonstrate the emotional rewards of recalled and immediate acts of giving in a new and theoretically relevant population

Giving leads to happiness in at-risk and antisocial populations

Research suggests that the emotional benefits of prosocial behaviour may be universal; adults and children from various countries around the world experience happiness from engaging in prosocial action. Importantly, psychological universals may not only be detectable in diverse contexts, but across a range of actors as well – including individuals with antisocial tendencies. Three studies examined whether individuals with criminal histories and antisocial inclinations experience hedonic rewards from engaging in prosocial behaviour. In Experiment 1, high-risk youth and juvenile offenders (N = 64) who were randomly assigned to purchase candy for a children’s charity reported greater positive affect than those who purchased candy for themselves. In Experiment 2, adult ex-offenders (N = 501) randomly assigned to recall and describe the last time they spent money on someone else reported higher positive affect controlling for baseline levels of well being than those who recalled spending on themselves. In Experiment 3, adult ex-offenders (N = 777) randomly assigned to donate funds to a charity organization reported higher positive affect than those who used the funds to purchase an item for themselves. Self-reported antisocial tendencies did not moderate the emotional rewards of prosocial spending in any study. These findings suggest that the hedonic rewards of prosocial behaviour are detectable in high-risk and ex-criminal populations, providing further support for the universal benefits of generosity