Grandparents and grandchildren have, genetically speaking, equal reason to behave altruistically to each other, since they share of each other’s genes. But if the grandchildren have the greater expectation of life, genes for grandparent to grandchild altruism have a higher selective advantage than genes for grandchild to grandparent altruism. It is quite possible for the net benefit of assisting a young distant relative to exceed the net benefit of assisting an old close relative.
