How to Make a Hero

Heroes can be made

Heroes can be made, not just born. Training can increase heroic action, but personality and background play a significant role. It's about taking action, even small steps, at personal risk.

• 🧑‍🏫 The Heroic Imagination Project (HIP) trains people to overcome the bystander effect and act heroically.
• 🤝 While HIP training helped some, individuals with minority backgrounds were more likely to intervene, suggesting a link between systemic disadvantage and heightened empathy.
• 🧠 Kidney donors have larger amygdalas, suggesting a biological component to altruism, but training can still foster heroic behavior.
• ⚖️ The Stanford Prison Experiment, which inspired Zimbardo's focus on heroism, was ended early by a colleague who acted heroically against the unethical situation.
• 📈 Over 95% of people surveyed claimed they would blow the whistle in an unethical situation, but actual experiments showed much lower rates of whistleblowing.

An elderly man with a beard sits in a wheelchair, looking concerned, while a person in a green uniform pushes him.