Abstract
This paper develops an evolutionary approach to investigate (i) whether the observability of altruism or envy evolved in humans through a process of natural selection, (ii) what causes individuals to choose altruism or envy, and (iii) whether the survival of individuals coincides with the highest material payoffs. This paper finds three results. First, the observability of emotions is evolutionarily stable in terms of natural selection. Second, if individuals’ interactions are strategic complements, they choose altruism; and if their interactions are strategic substitutes, they choose envy. Third, each individual’s survival coincides with the highest material payoff when the observability of altruism is evolutionarily stable, but it does not when the observability of envy is evolutionarily stable.
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