Tyler Cowen: You are not as benevolent or generous as you think. The main reason you gave to tsunami victims is because other people did.
This is not surprising at all. Change “gave to tsunami victims” to “bought Nike shoes.” Humans are social creatures, who in spite of our rationality, behave emotionally a great deal of the time, especially when it comes to spending (donating) money. Any marketing copywriter can tell you that.