Abstract

Prosocial actions often involve giving something that represents one’s essence, be it one’s name (e.g., signature), personal possessions, or body (e.g., blood donation). This research compares such “self-giving” to the giving of resources of comparable value that are less connected to one’s essence. We show in five studies that self-giving embeds givers with a sense of commitment and generosity. Specifically, giving endowed objects (vs. briefly owned objects), one’s signature (vs. anonymous support), and blood (vs. a comparable amount of money) all increased perceptions of commitment and generosity among givers. As a result, givers were more likely to continue supporting that cause in the long run.

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