Abstract
Frustration is often seen as negative, but as to whether it may have a positive impact on the individual is still undecided. This research was conducted to explore the influence of frustration on altruistic tendency and altruistic level in college students (17–21 years old). By presenting a highly difficult task combined with negative feedback, we effectively induced frustration in Experiment 1 (n = 70). By assessing the donation behavior of participants (n = 54) in a real-life scenario following the experimental manipulation of frustration, we examined the relationship between frustration and altruism in Experiment 2. Results showed that frustrating situations could, on some level, improve altruistic behavior [t(8.834) = 3.013, p = 0.015]. More specifically, among participants who donated, the amount donated was higher in the frustration group compared to the control (fulfillment) group; the proportion of people who donated did not differ by group.
Highlights
An individual encounters a frustrating situation when they are confronted by internal or external obstacles preventing them from completing a specific purposeful activity (Lin, 2017)
Effectiveness of Frustration-Inducing Experiment In Experiment 1, participants in the two groups achieved different results in their respective “Comprehensive Cognitive Ability Test” tasks, with the performance of the frustration group being significantly poorer than the fulfillment group, supporting Hypothesis 1a
In both Experiment 1 and Experiment 2, some participants in the frustration group left the laboratory before completing the task, a decision that may have been driven by strong frustration induced by the experiment
Summary
An individual encounters a frustrating situation when they are confronted by internal or external obstacles preventing them from completing a specific purposeful activity (Lin, 2017). If a frustrating situation increases the participants’ altruistic behavior tendency or level, in a similar way to PTG, the reason for this change in the individual could be attributed to the fact that the frustrating situation had improved the individual’s empathy ability. According to the meta-analysis conducted by Fromell et al (2020), in the current study, participants in the frustration group were under a greater “cognitive load” and may have been less able to use their deliberation system (System 2) and more likely to use their intuition system (System 1) This resulted in conducting a higher level of altruistic behavior, because they had few cognitive resources left to consider their self-interest. Hypothesis 2b: The number of participants who displayed donation behavior (altruistic level) in the frustration group would be higher than the number in the fulfillment group
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
