Why a single cry for help is easier to awaken human compassion?

Why a single cry for help is easier to awaken human compassion?

It is interesting that a article The problem with human compassion tells us that a dog tugs our hearts more than a distressed nation of millions. However, it only shows a fact by the experiments that our empathic telescopes are activated when we hear a single cry for help because we fall back on rules of thumb, on feelings, on intuitions. Leaving aside the accuracy of the experiments (they should be taken into account their scope, the objects, the methods, the frequency etc.), the author doesn’t explains why or how it happens.

In my view, it is more social study than scientific. Perhaps the main reason is a psychological reflection to jungle principle. In Darwin’s jungle principle, the mass or community represents formidable and powerful, the individual or single represents small and weakly. In general, sympathy for the weak is a universal human emotion. That perhaps can explain why Nazi Germany killed millions of people in cold blood. They could not feel any sympathy when they killed the Jews because of their large population. The nazis even have a kind of psychological emotion of self-defence because of their small population in concentration camp. No matter whether you are aware, human is so stupid that they always use the animal’s principles to treat themselves. They are cheated by their undevolped evolution subconscious.

Another reason maybe is person's sociality essence. The demand of social interaction is one of primary needs of humanity. When a person is isolated from group or society, he will be thought as his basic human right had been deprived. Then, our empathic telescopes may be activated, regardless of a lonely person or a lonely dog.

Third, dog is a part of American culture. I have never seen a nation which loves dogs more than America. American see dogs as their family member, So it is not surprise that the American would cost $ 300,000 to save Hokget when she was both lonely without help and in the danger.