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. 2020 Aug;24(8):587-589.
doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.05.006. Epub 2020 May 14.

Catastrophe Compassion: Understanding and Extending Prosociality Under Crisis

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Catastrophe Compassion: Understanding and Extending Prosociality Under Crisis

Jamil Zaki. Trends Cogn Sci. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

How do people behave when disasters strike? Popular media accounts depict panic and cruelty, but in fact individuals often cooperate with and care for one another during crises. I summarize evidence for such 'catastrophe compassion', discuss its roots, and consider how it might be cultivated in more mundane times.

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