The empathy-altruism hypothesis suggests that people are most likely to behave altruistically towards someone if they empathize with that person’s predicament. For example, a woman might lend a hand to a mother struggling to carry both her toddler and the grocery bags if she has had children herself. This hypothesis is supported by various research studies. One study found that children begin to develop altruistic habits at the same time they begin to develop their sense of empathy.