Abstract
We conducted three treatments of human-computer repeated emotion game experiments and set up a game-theoretic econometric model to measure the impact of emotional reciprocity on behavior at the group level when self-interest is impossible. We found that the subjects still gave feedback in response to the opponent’s friendliness (unfriendliness), even if their behaviors could not change their expected payoffs. The subjects’ willingness to be altruistic increased in the level of altruism in the environment. However, when the opponent did not respond to their behaviors, the subjects’ willingness to be altruistic was lower than their opponents, especially when the opponents behaved more altruistically.
Highlights
A large number of studies show that when people make economic decisions, they pay attention to their own payoffs and to those of others, generating social emotions such as altruism (Charness & Rabin, 2002), spitefulness (Fehr, Hoff, & Kshetramade, 2008), inequality aversion (Blanco, Engelmann, & Normann, 2011) and reciprocity (Hein, Morishima, Leiberg, Sul, & Fehr, 2016)
We conducted three treatments of human-computer repeated emotion game experiments and set up a game-theoretic econometric model to measure the impact of emotional reciprocity on behavior at the group level when self-interest is impossible
When self-interest cannot be realized, how much emotional feedback will people give in response to opponent’sfriendliness? In this study, we attempt to exclude the influence of self-interest on behavior and only measure the subjects’ emotional reciprocity aroused by how others treat them
Summary
A large number of studies show that when people make economic decisions, they pay attention to their own payoffs and to those of others, generating social emotions such as altruism (Charness & Rabin, 2002), spitefulness (Fehr, Hoff, & Kshetramade, 2008), inequality aversion (Blanco, Engelmann, & Normann, 2011) and reciprocity (Hein, Morishima, Leiberg, Sul, & Fehr, 2016). When self-interest cannot be realized, how much emotional feedback will people give in response to opponent’s (un)friendliness? We attempt to exclude the influence of self-interest (changes in one’s own payoff) on behavior and only measure the subjects’ emotional reciprocity aroused by how others treat them. We conducted three treatments (with different altruistic environments) of human-computer repeated emotion game experiments and set up a game-econometric model to estimate the altruism coefficient at the group level in each treatment, revealing the subjects’ willingness to be altruistic in different altruistic environments. We found that the more altruistic an environment was, the higher the willingness of the subjects to be altruistic These results reflect the subjects’ pure emotional feedback to the environment, which explains why an altruistic environment is conducive to the emergence of altruistic behavior
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