Who gives? The evolutionary mystery of charitable giving & altruistic behaviour

This fun, interactive talk will focus on two key issues. Firstly, we will discuss how charitable organizations seek donations through their advertisements: what is the best approach, and how do individual and cultural differences impact whether people decide to give their time and money to charity? Secondly, we will turn to the evolutionary puzzle of why people behave altruistically at all, rather than purely in their own self-interest. Be prepared to discuss your own motivations for helping others and being charitable, or why you prefer not to do so. The interactive nature of the talk is what makes it engaging and fun!

Eric Levy is University Lecturer in Marketing at Cambridge University Judge Business School. He teaches Consumer Behavior and Branding in the MBA, Executive MBA, and Ph.D. programs, and Principles of Marketing in the Cambridge MST undergraduate program. Eric’s research interests are in consumer behavior and psychology. His research has been published in Journal of Marketing and Journal of Personality of Social Psychology, and has been presented at conferences of the Association for Consumer Research and Society for Consumer Psychology. Eric earned a BA in Psychology from Franklin and Marshall College, an MBA in Marketing from Temple University, and a Ph.D. and MS in Marketing and Psychology from University of Washington, Seattle.