ABSTRACT
Many years ago, I noticed a peculiar bias in my thinking as I walked toward a man who was asking for money. Despite believing that it is important to help others, I re exively thought about reasons not to give him money. Some of these thoughts were about the feasibility of donating: I was low on change and felt I had been spending too much recently. Other thoughts were about the e ectiveness of donating: the man might waste his money on alcohol or cigarettes and I could merely be encouraging greater dependence on handouts. This ow of thoughts seemed to occur quickly, in less than a second, and it seemed like an automatic reaction. It felt as though my hand was instinctively reaching to protect my wallet even before my thoughts were fully formed.
