Implications: Now we have some mathematical evidence that there is an evolutionary advantage to generosity, other than just good karma. With Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” ingrained in our brains, it often seems like every man for himself is the best strategy, and kindness is just an anomaly. But it’s an uplifting surprise to see a study that says that’s not the case, that we evolve best when we help each other. The study; From extortion to generosity, evolution in the Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma; appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
via Study: Generosity Is More Evolutionarily Advantageous Than Selfishness