text: However, when volunteers generously placed the interests of others before their own by making charitable donations, another brain circuit was selectively activated: the subgenual cortex/septal region.These structures social attachment and bonding in other species.The experiment indicated that altruism isn't a higher moral faculty overpowering innate selfish desires, but a fundamental, ingrained, and enjoyable trait in the brain.One brain region, the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex/basal forebrain, contributes to learning altruistic behavior, especially in people with empathy.The same study identified giving to charity and of social bonding.Bill Harbaugh, a University of Oregon economist, in an fMRI scanner test conducted with his psychologist colleague Dr.Ulrich Mayr, reached the same conclusions as Jorge Moll and Jordan Grafman about giving to charity, although they were able to divide the study group into two groups: "egoists" and "altruists".One of their discoveries was that, though rarely, even some of the considered "egoists" sometimes gave more than expected because that would help others, leading to the conclusion that there are other factors in charity, such as a person's environment and values.Psychology The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences defines psychological altruism as "a motivational state to increase another's welfare".Psychological altruism is contrasted with psychological egoism, which refers to the motivation to increase one's welfare.There has been some debate on whether humans are capable of psychological altruism.Some definitions specify a self-sacrificial nature to altruism and a lack of external rewards for altruistic behaviors.However, because altruism ultimately benefits the self in many cases, the selflessness of altruistic acts is difficult to prove.The social exchange theory postulates that altruism only exists when the benefits outweigh the costs to the self.