London - When it’s life or death, the quick actions of a hero can save someone in peril.
And now research shows that fast-moving Good Samaritans really do act first and think later.
Scientists studied 51 statements made by recipients of the Carnegie Hero Medal, a US award given to civilian life-savers.
Experts and computer software were used to analyse the statements for evidence of intuitive or deliberate actions.
Lead researcher Dr David Rand, from Yale University in the US, said: “We wondered if people who act with extreme altruism do so without thinking, or if conscious self-control is needed to override negative emotions like fear. Our analyses show that, overwhelmingly, extreme altruists report acting first and thinking later.”
This was true even in situations where a life-saver would have had sufficient time to deliberate before acting.
The findings were published in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE. - Daily Mail