Rosicrucian Beacon Magazine - 2013-03 - AMORC

The Biological Roots
of Trust, Generosity
and Forgiveness
by Sarah Kraak, SRC
About the author: Dr Sarah B M Kraak,
is a scientist and Rosicrucian who did research
in evolution and animal behaviour at various
universities before switching to fisheries science.
She develops innovative strategies of fisheries
management, especially by aiming to align the
interests of the individual (e.g. the fisher) with the
interests of the group (e.g. all fishers, society, etc.).
ast yEAR I was on the long-distance bus
to Cork in Ireland where I lecture a few times
per year on the evolution of animal and human
behaviour. During the three-hour bus
trip the driver made a break, and he told his
passengers that they could leave the bus for a few minutes
to go and stretch their legs if they would like to. A young
girl wanted to leave the bus, and looking around, she
spotted me and asked if I would mind guarding her bag
while she was away.
There are a few things one can remark about this
scene. One of them is that, apparently, this young girl
thought that there might be thieves around who could
steal her bag, and also, apparently, that I was not one of
them. Another thing I noticed during the events was that
her asking me flattered me, and made me very keen in
wanting to guard her bag for her; I liked the responsibility
awarded to me.
Inspired by the contents of the lecture I was about
to give, which I will explain later, I made a speculative
reconstruction of what had happened: Her request
indicated to me that she trusted me and the experience of
being regarded with trust triggered the release of oxytocin,
and, in turn, the oxytocin flowing around in my body
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The Rosicrucian Beacon -- March 2013