Effective Altruism and the Human Mind

Overview & Synopsis

Effective Altruism and the Human Mind explains why people often don’t choose the most effective strategies to help others and shows what can be done to change that. Many people are looking to make the world a better place, for instance, through donations or volunteering. But even though some strategies for doing good (e.g., some charities) are much more effective than the alternatives, most people’s efforts aren’t directed toward those effective strategies. Part I seeks to explain why that is, building on decades of psychological research. It’s shown that most people think that do-gooding should be guided by subjective preferences rather than by objective metrics of effectiveness. Since they often prefer less effective strategies (e.g., many prefer causes they have a personal connection with even if they’re less effective), this attitude reduces the effectiveness of their help. Moreover, most people lack knowledge about how to do good effectively, reducing their effectiveness further. Part II, in turn, discusses how we can address these issues and increase the effectiveness of people’s help. It covers both targeted informational, nudging, and incentivization techniques, on the one hand, and fundamental value change, on the other. The book ends with a discussion of how to implement effective altruism in practice, in a way that’s informed by psychological research.