Is being virtuous good for you – or just people around you? A study suggests traits like compassion may support your own well-being

Philosophers from Aristotle to Nietzsche have debated whether being virtuous only helps others, or if it benefits the virtuous person, too.

By: Michael Prinzing, Wake Forest University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 23, 2026

Words: 822

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago

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By Michael Prinzing, Wake Forest University

Virtues such as compassion, patience and self-control may be beneficial not only for others but also for oneself, according to new research my team and I published in the Journal of Personality in December 2025.

Philosophers from Aristotle to al-Fārābī, a 10th-century scholar in what is now Iraq, have argued that virtue is vital for well-being. Yet others, such as Thomas Hobbes and Friedrich Nietzsche, …

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