Did you know that when presented with details of one individual’s suffering, we feel more empathy and sympathy than when given the details of a group of individuals’ suffering. Doesn’t sound rational? Think again. Think about all the most striking campaigns you have watched on TV.
Take anti-smoking campaigns for example. What do you remember most? That lady who was dying of lung cancer and had to breathe through a hole in her throat when her children are still under 10 years old and she had to explain to them why she was dying? Or the number of people who die from smoking-related diseases every year in the world?
Our brain works in such a weird and fascinating way. Humans are often criticized for not employing logics of reason. Yet, we also criticize artificial intelligence and machines that act on such logic and reasoning and mathematics. Fascinating, isn’t it?
Experiments have shown that when people are given information about one starving child in Africa and asked to donate money, the average amount is $11. Yet when given information about the statistics of dying children in Eastern Africa, the average amount that people are willing to donate drops down to $5.
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