What does it take to act courageously in time of extreme adversity? Is this a characteristic of a hero or a morally responsible citizen?

What characteristics or qualities make a person a hero? Is there a hero gene? According to one recent study, the answer might rest in what type of heroism we are addressing.

Researchers have found that people who had engaged in one-time acts of bravery (like rushing into a burning building or rescuing someone from the path of an oncoming train) are not necessarily that much different from control groups of non-heroes.

By contrast, people who engage in lifelong heroism (such as professional nurses who regularly comfort the sick and dying) do share a number of important personality traits such as empathy, nurturance, and a need to live by a moral code.