Humans Only Care About Their Self-interests

Understanding the human nature can enhance our interactions with others.

In 2016, while studying Computer Science at the University of Calcutta, I encountered an experience that profoundly shifted my perspective.

During my Database course, I was assigned two projects: managing a restaurant and organizing a product warehouse. I developed a website which had functionalities like product catalog and order system.

I had put a lot of effort into it and was very confident about getting good marks. But I got shell-shocked when I showed the work to my professor. He asked me one question which shook my whole foundation.

What will I do with the code?

He then explained me the purpose of making softwares. That it was to help businesses make money, and they don’t care about the code itself. They want to see summarized reports - no of sales, inventory details, profile and loss, etc to save time and make better decisions.

Before that conversation, my whole focus was putting more and more efforts, and expected others to praise me for my work ethic. But in hindsight, I realized that all of the hard work had no real value.

Even after this discussion, I failed to grasp the essence of his advice, as my main concern was still to secure good grades. So I complied minimally, creating the required reports to satisfy him, and moved on.

My understanding hadn't evolved by the time I started an internship in 2018. When tasked with applying a new programming framework to a segment of the main product, my old habits prevailed. Believing I wasn't ready, I focused on learning the framework well before implementing anything.

Finally one day my team lead called me in his room and another bomb dropped over my head.

You are taking salary from the company every month. What is the value you are providing to the company in return?

I never thought in this way. I had assumed that my skills alone justified my employment, not recognizing that without using my skills they are worthless. The reality struck me that outcomes are what matter, and support from others is contingent on the benefits you can offer in return.

Similar to the previous case, I didn’t learn anything. As my fundamental belief didn’t change. I felt unfairly criticized after putting so much efforts.

So I kept making mistakes. Showing low-value features during product demos to the CEO. Attending unnecessary meetings. Reading every slack messages. Reinventing the wheel when a readymade solution is available.

This is the problem with concepts like altruism: they give wrong expectations to people. Rather if everyone has the proper understanding of human nature — recognizing that people only care about their self-interests — can improve how we interact with one another. Paradoxically, this awareness can lead to a more cooperative and productive society.