In this blog post, we explore the hidden meaning behind altruistic behavior through the movie ‘The Intern’ and the Reciprocity Hypothesis.
A recent film has received high praise and captured the hearts of many. It’s ‘The Intern,’ a movie depicting the journey of a young female CEO who takes on a 70-year-old intern named Ben, and how they come to understand and empathize with each other’s lives. In the film, protagonist Ben initially faces prejudice and dismissal from those around him due to his age. However, Ben gradually wins everyone over based on his wisdom, born from a lifetime of experience, and his considerate nature that puts others first. Ultimately, his dedicated attitude establishes him as the most trusted and reliable figure within the workplace.
Thus, the altruistic actions demonstrated by the protagonist in the film ultimately bring positive outcomes not only for others but also for himself. How could seemingly selfless acts, which appear to offer no immediate benefit, steer a person’s life in a positive direction? To answer this question, numerous scholars have conducted research, one of which is the ‘Reciprocal Altruism Hypothesis’. In this article, we will examine Ben’s actions in the film through the lens of this hypothesis and explore the power inherent in altruistic behavior.
The Reciprocal Altruism Hypothesis stems from the idea that “if I help someone now, I will receive help from that person or someone else at some point in the future.” In other words, in situations where there is potential for repeated encounters and ongoing relationships with others, altruistic behavior—which may seem disadvantageous in the short term—can yield benefits in the long run. Therefore, people choose altruistic actions not merely out of moral instinct or goodwill, but with the expectation of long-term rewards.
In 1984, Professor Robert Axelrod of the University of Michigan experimentally verified this hypothesis using the ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma Game’. He solicited various strategies from researchers worldwide, and after two rounds of experiments, the strategy that received the highest rewards was the ‘Tit for Tat’ strategy. This strategy follows a simple principle: reciprocate cooperation with cooperation, and reciprocate defection with defection. The experiments showed that in repeated game scenarios, this strategy proved the most stable and yielded the highest rewards. In other words, it demonstrated that altruistic behavior based on repeated reciprocity is ultimately an effective survival strategy.
This hypothesis is observed not only in human societies but also in the animal world. For example, chimpanzees tend to share food with peers who groom them. Another example is the pike, which ventures farther during scouting missions when its peers are cooperative, but ultimately abandons the scouting if they are uncooperative. Thus, chimpanzees and pike perch also determine whether to act altruistically based on the attitude of a repeatedly encountered counterpart. This suggests they too have evolved behavioral strategies based on the reciprocity hypothesis.
Reciprocity also played a crucial role in early human societies. In primitive tribal societies, there was a practice where members who succeeded in hunting would share the prey with other tribe members. This was not merely sharing; it was an action underpinned by the expectation that one day, when they themselves failed to hunt, they could receive compensation from other members. This altruistic behavior, considering relationships with tribe members with whom they would live together long-term, is a classic example of the Reciprocity Hypothesis.
Returning to the case of Ben, the protagonist of the movie ‘The Intern,’ Ben is also affiliated with an organizational entity—a company—where he is highly likely to continue meeting and maintaining relationships with colleagues. From the perspective of the Reciprocity Hypothesis, he would have understood that in such an environment, acting devotedly would eventually lead to receiving corresponding help and support from those around him. Indeed, he consistently maintained an altruistic attitude, earning the respect and trust of everyone in the company. This serves as a case where the Reciprocity Hypothesis effectively explains the situation in the film.
Of course, this hypothesis cannot be applied unconditionally to every situation. For the Reciprocity Hypothesis to hold, two premises are necessary. The first is that there must be a likelihood of continued encounters with the recipient of the altruistic behavior. As seen in the examples discussed earlier, altruistic behavior occurred in situations where individuals maintained ongoing relationships with community members. Conversely, in relationships with no prospect of future encounters, the likelihood of altruistic behavior is low since there is no opportunity for reward. The second premise is that the cooperation must be conditional, responding to the other person’s actions, rather than unconditional. If one continues to act altruistically but the other party does not reciprocate, the expected reward remains unattainable, leading to a gradual decline in altruistic behavior.
While the Reciprocity Hypothesis is not a universal key explaining all altruistic behavior, its significance lies in its strong explanatory power for most social situations involving sustained interaction within a community. Like Ben in the movie ‘The Intern,’ the attitude of caring for and dedicating oneself to others in the society we belong to is not merely a good deed. It is a life strategy that can eventually come back to us, and it can also be the foundation for building a better society.
