1. Introduction Altruism is selfless regard or devotion to the well-being of others; behavior of an animal that is not beneficial or may be harmful to itself but which benefits others of its species. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, n.d.) We may often feel like we are doing something to benefit others, but consider Darwinian evolution, which is the theory that species evolve by natural selection – the basic mechanism of evolution by which those individuals in a The populations that are best adapted to the environment survive and produce more offspring than others, thus altering the composition of the population and, ultimately, the characteristics of the species. (Oxford Dictionary of Psychology, 2001). With this in mind, altruistic behavior makes little sense. Evolutionary theory suggests that our behavior is driven by the need to survive and reproduce, and therefore complete altruism should be necessary only towards our relatives and not towards other members of our species. We like to believe, however, that we are doing a good deed for another, but this never brings any benefit to ourselves? In-depth psychological studies over many years have found various reasons why we commit pro-social behavior, which would suggest that we have ulterior motives that we may or may not be aware of in different situations. However, other evidence has shown that in some situations we help others to alleviate the distress we feel due to the situation, as demonstrated by the negative state relief model, which is a concept developed by Schaller and Cialdini (1988). They suggested that selfish motivations induce helpful behavior in negative circumstances because it reduces the distress we feel when testifying. Others suggest...... middle of paper...... t/altruism-and-bystander-behavior-Cool. (2013). Experiments. Retrieved from S-cool The Revision website: http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/psychology/research-methods/revise-it/experiments#kxbachgKD5FcrkIp.99Tierney, J. (2007, June 19). Are taxes a pleasure? Check the brain scan. Retrieved from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/science/19tier.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&Wikipedia. (2012, May 23). Negative state detection model. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative-state_relief_modelWikipedia. (2013, December 12). Repeated measures design. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeated_Measures_designWikipedia. (2014, January 28). Characteristics of the question. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand_characteristicsZizzo, DJ (August 2011). Do dictator games measure altruism? University of East Anglia.