In this blog post, we’ll explore the hidden meaning behind altruistic behavior through the movie *The Intern* and the reciprocity hypothesis.
A recent movie has been receiving high praise and winning the hearts of many people. It’s *The Intern*, a film that depicts the journey of a young female CEO who takes on a 70-year-old retired intern named “Ben,” and how they come to understand and empathize with each other’s lives. In the movie, the protagonist, Ben, initially faces prejudice and disregard from those around him simply because of his age. However, drawing on the wisdom gained from his long life experience and his considerate nature that puts others first, Ben gradually begins to win everyone over. Ultimately, his dedicated attitude establishes him as the most trusted and reliable person in the workplace.
As shown here, the protagonist’s altruistic behavior in the film is not merely for the sake of others but ultimately yields positive results for himself as well. How could altruistic behavior, which appears to offer no immediate benefit, lead a person’s life in a positive direction? To answer this question, numerous scholars have conducted research, and one such theory is the “Reciprocal Altruism Hypothesis.” In this article, we will examine Ben’s actions in the film from the perspective of this hypothesis and explore the power of altruistic behavior.
The Reciprocal Altruism Hypothesis stems from the idea that “if I help someone now, I will eventually receive help from that person or someone else.” In other words, in situations where there is a likelihood of meeting others repeatedly and maintaining relationships in the future, altruistic behavior—which may seem like a loss in the short term—yields benefits in the long term. Therefore, people choose to act altruistically not merely out of morality or goodwill, but in anticipation 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 yielded the highest reward was the “Tit for Tat” strategy. This strategy follows a simple principle: if the opponent cooperates, one cooperates; if the opponent defies, one defies. The results showed that in repeated games, this strategy proved to be 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 society but also in the animal kingdom. For example, chimpanzees tend to share food with peers who groom them. Another example is the giant stickleback, which ventures further during reconnaissance missions when its partner is cooperative, but eventually stops scouting if the partner is uncooperative. In this way, chimpanzees and large spiny eels also decide whether to engage in altruistic behavior based on the attitude of the partner they will encounter repeatedly, suggesting that they, too, have evolved behavioral strategies based on the repeated reciprocity hypothesis.
Repeated reciprocity has also played an important role in early human societies. In primitive tribal societies, there was a practice where members who succeeded in hunting would share their prey with other tribe members. This was not merely an act of sharing; it was behavior rooted in the expectation that one might receive compensation from other members if one failed to hunt in the future. Such altruistic behavior, which takes into account relationships with tribe members with whom one will live together over the long term, can be considered a classic example of the repeated reciprocity hypothesis.
Let’s return to the example of Ben, the protagonist of the movie *The Intern*. Ben is also part of an organization—the company—and it is highly likely that he will continue to meet and maintain relationships with his colleagues there. From the perspective of the repeated reciprocity hypothesis, he likely knew that if he acted with dedication in this environment, he would eventually receive corresponding help and support from those around him. In fact, he consistently maintained an altruistic attitude, and as a result, earned the respect and trust of everyone in the company. This can be seen as a case where the Reciprocity Hypothesis effectively explains the situation in the movie.
Of course, this hypothesis cannot be applied unconditionally to every situation. For the Reciprocity Hypothesis to hold true, two conditions must be met. The first is that there must be a likelihood of continuing to meet the recipient of the altruistic behavior. Looking at the examples discussed earlier, altruistic behavior occurred in situations where everyone maintained ongoing relationships with members of the community. Conversely, in relationships where there is no chance of meeting again, the likelihood of altruistic behavior is low because there is no opportunity to receive a reward. The second is that conditional cooperation—responding based on the other person’s behavior—must be assumed, rather than unconditional cooperation. If one continues to act altruistically but the other party does not respond in kind, the expected reward will not materialize, and altruistic behavior will gradually diminish.
While the Repeated Reciprocity Hypothesis is not a universal key to explaining all altruistic behavior, it holds significant meaning in that it provides a valid explanation for most social situations where sustained interaction occurs 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 matter of being kind. It is a life strategy that may one day benefit us in return, and it can serve as the foundation for building a better society.
