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Essay / Radiolab: An Equation For Good - 812
The podcast then tells us that Price couldn't accept the fact that he was selfish because he didn't spend too much time with his daughters and his wife (Levy, 2010). Knowing this, he was able to help London's homeless by providing them with food, clothing and even keys to his home (Levy, 2010). This indicates that Price supported these homeless people because of the ideals of altruism, which is the “desire to help another person even if it involves a cost to the one helping” (Akert, Aronson, & Wilson, 2013 , p.302), being the reason why they thus become “poorer” and “thinner” (Levy, 2010). I think Price probably started helping the unfortunate because of the discomfort he felt when he realized he was selfish. Furthermore, it is known that “considerable evidence indicates that people are aroused and disturbed when they see another person in pain and that they help at least in part to relieve their own distress” (Akert, Aronson, & Wilson, 2013, p.304). . This makes perfect sense, as Price probably thought it was appropriate for him to help strangers in order to alleviate his frustrations with the situation.