This is one of those obvious questions that most smart people might not think to ask. Mullaney became consumed by it. A raft of academic research pointed to two main reasons: People are truly altruistic, driven by a desire to help others. Giving to charity makes them feel better about themselves; economists call this “warm-glow altruism.” Mullaney didn’t doubt these two factors. But he thought there was a third factor, which people didn’t talk about: Once people are asked to donate, the social pressure is so great that they get bullied into giving, even though they wish they’d never been asked
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