Toronto Star Forget panic and angry mobs. During disasters like COVID-19, all we want to do is help David DeSteno, a psychology professor at Northeastern University, says that when a disaster strikes, it’s rare to see panic, looting or other anti-social behaviour. “What we find is that in general, the greater percentage of people tend to engage in a kind of co-operative altruism. The phenomenon is called ‘altruism born of suffering.’”