Executive summary: In this exploratory essay, the author proposes a framework of “spillover altruism”—the strategic personal practice of norm-setting behaviors that create positive externalities for local communities—as a way to improve personal and communal well-being without relying on institutional change or mass persuasion.
Key points:
The author argues that while traditional effective altruism focuses on distant, large-scale impact, applying an impact-focused mindset locally through “spillover altruism” can improve both personal and community life.
Spillover altruism centers on changing one’s own behavior to positively influence social norms, such as by avoiding harmful networked platforms (e.g., TikTok), using public goods (e.g., transit, parks), or hosting inclusive social gatherings.
The piece advocates for anchoring social rituals (e.g., weekly open-invite meals, group hikes) that encourage community building and spontaneous social connections.
The author highlights the corrosive impact of high personal consumption on community norms and suggests voluntarily capping one’s spending relative to local median income to normalize modest lifestyles and expand access to shared experiences.
A “local altruism budget” is proposed—e.g., allocating 10% of income to support local institutions and individuals—to revitalize community culture and compensate for market failures in socially valuable but economically fragile domains.
The author acknowledges the difficulty of persuading others directly and suggests that modeling pro-social behaviors is a more viable path to cultural change via imitation and social contagion.
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Executive summary: In this exploratory essay, the author proposes a framework of “spillover altruism”—the strategic personal practice of norm-setting behaviors that create positive externalities for local communities—as a way to improve personal and communal well-being without relying on institutional change or mass persuasion.
Key points:
The author argues that while traditional effective altruism focuses on distant, large-scale impact, applying an impact-focused mindset locally through “spillover altruism” can improve both personal and community life.
Spillover altruism centers on changing one’s own behavior to positively influence social norms, such as by avoiding harmful networked platforms (e.g., TikTok), using public goods (e.g., transit, parks), or hosting inclusive social gatherings.
The piece advocates for anchoring social rituals (e.g., weekly open-invite meals, group hikes) that encourage community building and spontaneous social connections.
The author highlights the corrosive impact of high personal consumption on community norms and suggests voluntarily capping one’s spending relative to local median income to normalize modest lifestyles and expand access to shared experiences.
A “local altruism budget” is proposed—e.g., allocating 10% of income to support local institutions and individuals—to revitalize community culture and compensate for market failures in socially valuable but economically fragile domains.
The author acknowledges the difficulty of persuading others directly and suggests that modeling pro-social behaviors is a more viable path to cultural change via imitation and social contagion.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.