Altruism is a research area within psychology and social sciences that focuses on understanding and explaining selfless behaviors and actions that benefit others without any expectation of personal gain. Researchers study the motivations, factors, and consequences of altruistic behaviors, as well as how they are influenced by social norms, culture, and individual characteristics. Altruism plays a key role in fostering cooperation, empathy, and prosocial behavior in society, and has implications for various fields such as social psychology, evolutionary biology, and economics.