Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share The neuroscience of extremes: Ruthless psychopathy to extraordinary generosity | Abigail Marsh
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
The neuroscience of extremes: Ruthless psychopathy to extraordinary generosity | Abigail Marsh
“There's a very pervasive belief that human nature is fundamentally selfish, but I know for a fact that that can't be true in part because my life was saved by a stranger a long time ago when I was 19.”
Is it possible that kindness and cruelty aren’t opposites, but points along the same spectrum of human nature? Neuroscientist Abigail Marsh has spent decades studying what she calls the “caring continuum:” A range that runs from extreme altruists to individuals with psychopathy who feel little or no concern for others.
Marsh challenges the widespread belief that humans are fundamentally selfish, showing instead how neuroscience, psychology, and everyday observation tell a more complex story.
00:00:00 What draws you to this field of research?
00:00:31 Are humans fundamentally selfish?
00:03:06 How do you define psychopathy?
00:04:13 What does research reveal about psychopathy?
00:18:05 What distinguishes sociopaths from psychopaths?
00:23:23 What myths surround psychopathy?
00:25:29 What are some treatments for psychopathy?
00:28:35 What is “The Mask of Sanity”?
00:29:30 What behaviors signal potential psychopathy?
00:36:36 Why are people drawn in by those with psychopathy?
00:39:12 What traits are common among those with psychopathy?
00:47:57 Is psychopathy genetic?
00:59:35 What traits characterize altruistic individuals?
01:00:21 What defines extreme altruism?
01:03:06 Are humans an altruistic species?
01:07:59 What are pop culture examples of altruism?
01:11:05 Is genuine altruism possible?
01:15:06 What’s your take on effective altruism?
01:16:51 Can I assess my spot on the psychopathy-altruism spectrum?
01:22:32 What does research say about boosting altruism?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Abigail Marsh:
Abigail Marsh is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at Georgetown University. She received her PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University in 2004.
----------------------------------------06:30-17
----------------------------
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
View all episodes
By bigthink
1.8
3737 ratings
“There's a very pervasive belief that human nature is fundamentally selfish, but I know for a fact that that can't be true in part because my life was saved by a stranger a long time ago when I was 19.”
Is it possible that kindness and cruelty aren’t opposites, but points along the same spectrum of human nature? Neuroscientist Abigail Marsh has spent decades studying what she calls the “caring continuum:” A range that runs from extreme altruists to individuals with psychopathy who feel little or no concern for others.
Marsh challenges the widespread belief that humans are fundamentally selfish, showing instead how neuroscience, psychology, and everyday observation tell a more complex story.
00:00:00 What draws you to this field of research?
00:00:31 Are humans fundamentally selfish?
00:03:06 How do you define psychopathy?
00:04:13 What does research reveal about psychopathy?
00:18:05 What distinguishes sociopaths from psychopaths?
00:23:23 What myths surround psychopathy?
00:25:29 What are some treatments for psychopathy?
00:28:35 What is “The Mask of Sanity”?
00:29:30 What behaviors signal potential psychopathy?
00:36:36 Why are people drawn in by those with psychopathy?
00:39:12 What traits are common among those with psychopathy?
00:47:57 Is psychopathy genetic?
00:59:35 What traits characterize altruistic individuals?
01:00:21 What defines extreme altruism?
01:03:06 Are humans an altruistic species?
01:07:59 What are pop culture examples of altruism?
01:11:05 Is genuine altruism possible?
01:15:06 What’s your take on effective altruism?
01:16:51 Can I assess my spot on the psychopathy-altruism spectrum?
01:22:32 What does research say about boosting altruism?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Abigail Marsh:
Abigail Marsh is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at Georgetown University. She received her PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University in 2004.
----------------------------------------06:30-17
----------------------------
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More shows like Big Think
View all
StarTalk Radio
14,327 Listeners
Intelligence Squared
775 Listeners
The Infinite Monkey Cage
2,097 Listeners
Making Sense with Sam Harris
26,332 Listeners
The Quanta Podcast
530 Listeners
The Michael Shermer Show
935 Listeners
Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas
4,183 Listeners
Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe
2,344 Listeners
Within Reason
1,638 Listeners
The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss
507 Listeners
Why This Universe?
392 Listeners
The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu
70 Listeners
Cool Worlds Podcast
100 Listeners
The Astrophysics Podcast
54 Listeners
Crash Course Pods: The Universe
507 Listeners