Generate the answer for a given question. The question requires common knowledge of English. Make sure that the answer is in detail, long, consistent with the context, and requires general knowledge of English. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question. Give a proper explanation to answer, and if necessary, provide the definition of various terms. And conclude your answer if it's long. If you have used other resources (e.g., Merriam Webster's.) to answer the question, include citations in your answer. You don't need to paraphrase the context of your resources, but make sure that your answer is consistent and complete.

Once when I was having a hard time a guy said to me, 'I'm sorry you're having a hard time, I'll pray for you,' in a way that made it clear that he was glad I was having a hard time because it gave him the opportunity to pray for me and feel good about himself. I am interested in this phenomenon but also the much more general (probably universal) phenomenon of human beings finding justification for things they want to do, often by lying to themselves about the utility of the behavior to other people. The best single word I can think of for this is contrived, but it is not close to precise. Similarly, dissembling, insincere, and so on don't really cut it. I also looked at this list of cognitive biases but was unable to find one that expressed this idea. Is there a single word for this? If not, a short phrase?.
I am not sure if you are stuck to the notion of altruism, but in the context of making a show of being nice to others to make themselves feel good, you could use sanctimonious. Sanctimonious is a twist on the words sanctity and sacred, which mean holy or religious. A sanctimonious person might think he's holy, but their attitude comes across more like 'holier-than-thou.' Though sanctimonious people might try to act like saints, their actions are far from pure or holy, which just makes them sound like hypocrites. Vocabulary.com

I know that 'ad hoc' is a Latin phrase and I've typically seen it used without a hyphen. However, many technical articles use a hyphen. For example: Ad-hoc mode is useful for establishing a network where wireless infrastructure does not exist or where services are not required. Is 'ad hoc' always the correct usage? If it can be 'ad-hoc', is the usage of the hyphen specific to certain circumstances?.
The rule-of-thumb I've found in researching this issue, (though no reference to a specific style guide was referenced one site linked here) is if Latin and other foreign phrases are not hyphenated in their original language, then they are not hyphenated in English.

I'm trying to find different ways of saying that 'You don't have to be a rocket scientist', but I can't seem to get any good ideas. I got a variation, 'You don't have to be a brain surgeon...,' but are there any others ways. It doesn't have to follow the routine of 'You don't have to...'.

Other related expressions are: You don't have to be a genius/it doesn't take a genius: 'You don't have to be a genius. You don't have to be superman. You don't even have to be a techie. Just have an idea.' All you need is a good imagination and you'll find fertile soil. And . . . the best ideas are right under your nose. Ron Gordon ... 'I know that it doesn't take a genius to work out that sleep is important for good health.' or, you don't have to be Einstein: They graduate! So, they end up going through life with this piece of paper that makes everybody think that they are smart, even if they are not. You don't have to be Einstein to have a place in college. He was not sure he really wanted to know, though one didn't have to be Einstein to put two and two together.!!