There is no formal guide of how to be hero, but there has been an article published of how to act heroically. In this article you are able to get into the minds of 51 heroes. With being a hero there is always a cost you have to pay, but does the safety of others always outweigh the costs? This is determined by the “envelope game” researchers have come up with to test if helping someone is an unconscious or conscious decision. The heroes that were interviewed emphasized that their reactions were more like instincts. One stated, “It was just a gut instinct. It wasn’t really a conscious decision” (Yoeli & Rand). When looking at the levels of consciousness, the conscious level consists of thoughts that people are aware of, whereas the unconscious
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Yoeli, and two colleagues, came up with the “envelope game.” This game involves the interactions between a Player 1 and a Player 2. In the game, Player 2 carries some cost for Player 1; sometimes the cost is small and sometimes the cost is large. Before Player 1 helps Player 2, Player 1 can open an envelope that informs them of the cost of helping Player 2. Player 2 will then be informed if Player 1 opens the envelope and from there Player 2 can also decide to continue playing with Player 1 or move on. This decision is based off trust. If Player 1 opens the envelope how much can Player 2 actually trust Player 1, if they need to know what they will lose before they help. Yes, this is only a video game, but in real world situations, heroes would help Player 2 without opening the envelope. They would help based off of subliminal perceptions and on the unconscious level (Yoeli & Rand). There are many reasons why people help others. A few reasons are outlined in this article. A lot of the times people help others because it will benefit them in the long run. Many Americans believe in karma; if they do something good for someone else, they are expecting that person to do something nice for them in the future. There is also a reputation you receive if you consistently help people without thinking. If you are one of these heroes, you are seen as extremely trustworthy because you deliberately go out of your way to help others without weighing the risk you could bring about on yourself (Yoeli &
Yoeli, and two colleagues, came up with the “envelope game.” This game involves the interactions between a Player 1 and a Player 2. In the game, Player 2 carries some cost for Player 1; sometimes the cost is small and sometimes the cost is large. Before Player 1 helps Player 2, Player 1 can open an envelope that informs them of the cost of helping Player 2. Player 2 will then be informed if Player 1 opens the envelope and from there Player 2 can also decide to continue playing with Player 1 or move on. This decision is based off trust. If Player 1 opens the envelope how much can Player 2 actually trust Player 1, if they need to know what they will lose before they help. Yes, this is only a video game, but in real world situations, heroes would help Player 2 without opening the envelope. They would help based off of subliminal perceptions and on the unconscious level (Yoeli & Rand). There are many reasons why people help others. A few reasons are outlined in this article. A lot of the times people help others because it will benefit them in the long run. Many Americans believe in karma; if they do something good for someone else, they are expecting that person to do something nice for them in the future. There is also a reputation you receive if you consistently help people without thinking. If you are one of these heroes, you are seen as extremely trustworthy because you deliberately go out of your way to help others without weighing the risk you could bring about on yourself (Yoeli &