ABSTRACT
Belonging to a group has obvious survival value. Group survival is more likely than individual survival to ensure that the species will continue to propagate; thus, groups composed of altruistic individuals are selected for during evolution. The tendency of people to sacrifice themselves for the group to which they belong can be readily inferred from the willingness of most individuals to die for their family or their country when these groups are under threat. The concept of group selection remains controversial among evolutionary biologists and is, in fact, only accepted by a minority of them. The reasons for this lack of acceptance often appear to be more aesthetic or political than scientific. Applying the idea of hidden altruism obviates the need to posit stupidity or the avoidance of anxiety about information that produces cognitive dissonance as the primary explanation for the repetition compulsion.
