Prosocial Actions Research Articles

Navigating the Digital Terrain of Prosocial Disclosures and Likability

When people share their prosocial behavior on social media, they face a dilemma. By making prosocial disclosures, they risk being perceived as self-promoting or even selfish and thus less likable. By staying silent, they fail to spread awareness about prosocial activities they value. Drawing on attribution theory, we study the digital reaction of likes to the self-disclosure of prosocial activities that involve multiple stakeholders to understand the affordances and constraints of social media. Leveraging field data on a social networking site, we found that reporting a higher level of self-effort increases the digital reaction of likes. To our surprise, expressing gratitude for the sponsor’s efforts also increased likes for such self-disclosures. Through lab experiments that emulated this context, we dissected this paradox by separating the positive effect of expressing gratitude and the negative effect of sharing credit with other stakeholders on likes. Further, we underscore the salience of expressing gratitude, even when gratitude was extended to sponsors with bad reputations. Our study contributes to the design of a more humane digital world where individuals share and promote prosocial activities without compromising their likability and offers valuable insights for navigating the evolving landscape of social networking platforms.

Reminders undermine impressions of genuine gratitude.

While reminders can help by encouraging prosocial behaviors, we propose that they can also hurt. Across 10 studies, most of which focus on reminders to express gratitude, we find that reminders interfere with impressions of genuine prosociality. Whether people are reminded subtly (Studies 1a and 6-8) or blatantly (Studies 2-5) to express gratitude, the reminder is perceived to put social pressure on the potential thanker, making reminded thankers seem less genuine and less likable than spontaneous thankers. This is true from the perspective of both a third-party observer (Studies 1a and 2-7) and the receiver of thanks (Study 4), regardless of whether the judgments are about hypothetical (Studies 1a, 2-3, and 6-7) or real behavior (Studies 4-5). We find that this phenomenon can have material consequences: Receivers of gratitude expressions allocated a larger proportion of bonus money to a spontaneous thanker compared to a reminded thanker (Study 5). We also find that to overcome the decrement in their perceived genuineness, reminded thankers must engage in costly signaling by thanking more elaborately (Study 7), and reminded thankers spontaneously do this (Study 8). Overall, while reminding people to engage in prosocial actions may encourage laudable behavior (Study 6), our findings suggest that doing so may also undermine the actor's perceived genuineness, leading to material consequences and raising the bar for what is required to signal sincerity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Social Responsibility and Airbnb Hosts: Voices from Northern Cyprus

This study examined relevant linkages between motivational factors to be the owner of P2P accommodation (Airbnb host) and being active in pro-environmental and pro-social actions in life practices using a qualitative research method. Our study contributes to the literature associating the motivations of being an Airbnb host and being active in sustainability issues under the framework of moral values. Furthermore, the study analyzed whether an individual awareness of sustainability practices by Airbnb hosts influences their motivations for social responsibility actions in their hosting practices. The key themes followed were ‘Community Engagement and Pro-Social Practices’, ‘Environmental Consciousness and Pro-environmental Practices’, ‘Family Values on Moral Identity and Legal Compliance’, and ‘Restoration and Cultural Heritage’. Findings revealed that hosts stress the importance of the level of environmental consciousness that is gained from education in fostering social responsibility. Respondents believed that teaching cultural heritage, environmental awareness, and ethical values, especially to children, is crucial to building a responsible society. Additionally, participants expressed a sense of social responsibility through the restoration of idle and old houses, contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage and historical structures. As a context of the moral identity issue of respondent hosts, the influence of family values on the development of moral identity was highlighted. The findings of the study showed that hosts work in a team to implement necessary projects for the benefit of society. The study ends with a discussion of the findings and relevant suggestions for the industry.

“The most important part of empathy is…being able to help”: Empathy definitions and teaching practices in middle school

This qualitative study explored the relationship between EL Education and Comparison school students’ definitions of empathy and educators’ teaching practices. We interviewed 23 5th and 6th grade students and 18 educators from nine middle schools across the United States. Students were asked to define empathy and educators described empathy teaching practices. Three themes appeared in student definitions: empathy, prosocial behavior, and empathy-motivated prosocial responding. Empathy-motivated prosocial responding was a stronger theme amongst EL Education students. Their responses indicated belief that empathy is tied to prosocial action. Six themes appeared in educator’s practices: modeling, coaching, restorative practices, opportunities to practice, curriculum integration, and community spaces. EL Education educators described practices that promoted both empathy and empathy-motivated prosocial responding. Together, these findings highlight EL Education as a promising model and add to a toolkit of prosocial teaching practices. Recommendations for using the myriad of empathy teaching practices described by educators are discussed.

Do inclusive incentive systems encourage prosocial or competitive behavior in online communities?

Platform designers create and implement incentive systems to encourage users to contribute content to online communities. This article examines the effect of a multidimensional incentive hierarchy in motivating users to engage in competitive and prosocial activities. Utilizing an external change observed in the data science community, Kaggle, and applying a quasi-experimental design, we compared users’ engagement levels before and after introducing a multidimensional incentive hierarchy. We found that implementing a multidimensional incentive system directed users from submitting answers to Kaggle competitions to participating in Kaggle’s online forum discussions. However, our additional analyses suggest that the most and the least motivated users may be less likely to be impacted by such incentives.

Toddlers Prefer Agents Who Help Those Facing Harder Tasks.

Capacities to understand and evaluate others' actions are fundamental to human social life. Infants and toddlers are sensitive to the costs of others' actions, infer others' values from the costs of the actions they take, and prefer those who help others to those who hinder them, but it is largely unknown whether and how cost considerations inform early understanding of third-party prosocial actions. In three experiments (N = 94), we asked whether 16-month-old toddlers value agents who selectively help those who need it most. Presented with two agents who attempted two tasks, toddlers preferentially looked to and touched someone who helped the agent in greater need, both when one agent's task required more effort and when the tasks were the same but one agent was weaker. These results provide evidence that toddlers engage in need-based evaluations of helping, applying their understanding of action utilities to their social evaluations.

Why care for humanity?

Some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet-such as climate change, biodiversity loss, warfare and extreme poverty-require social cohesion and prosocial action on a global scale. How can this be achieved? Previous research suggests that identity fusion-a strong form of group cohesion motivating prosocial action-results from perceptions of shared personally transformative experiences or of common biological essence. Here, we present results from two studies with United States samples exploring each pathway to identity fusion on a global scale. Study 1 focused on globally shared motherhood experiences and found that US mothers were more fused with women around the world if they shared motherhood experiences with them, which was also reflected in money allocation behaviour. Study 2 showed that exposure to a talk about globally shared biology increased fusion with humanity at large, Americans and the extended family suggesting that fusion with humanity does not need to weaken fusion with nation or extended family. We discuss implications of our results for future research on bonding with humanity at large and for addressing collective action problems on a global scale.

Identifying Challenges in Social Functioning Among Women with Schizophrenia

IntroductionSchizophrenia spectrum disorders profoundly impacts social functioning, affecting interpersonal relationships, work interactions, and self-care. This disorder often leads to cognitive, perceptual, motor, and emotional challenges that result in social withdrawal.ObjectivesThe aim of the study is to identify the specific challenges in social functioning faced by women diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among stabilized female patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, in the ‘B’ psychiatry department at Hedi Chaker University Hospital in Sfax, Tunisia, from May to June 2023. We collected both sociodemographic and clinical data from the participants. The Social Functioning Scale (SFS) and Global Functioning Scale (EGF) were used to assess social and global functioning, respectively.ResultsForty-one patients were included: 65.9% had schizophrenia, and 34.2% had schizoaffective disorder. The mean age was 49.19 years, ranging from 17 to 79 years. More than a third (39%) of our patients had significant impairment in global functioning (EGF<50). The average total score on the social functioning scale was 13.65, with a range from 6.29 to 20.29. Additionally, 39% of our patients exhibited low social functioning, and 51.21% had a high withdrawal score. The most impacted domains were leisure (63.41%) and employment (60.97%), followed by interpersonal behavior (58.53%), prosocial activities (48.78%), independence competence (41.46%), and lastly, independence performance (36.85%).ConclusionsSocial skills training is crucial for enabling women with schizophrenia to function well in their environment.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Understanding how motives and emotions driving prosocial actions impact the moral assessment of good doers

Understanding how motives and emotions driving prosocial actions impact the moral assessment of good doers

Who is building peace? A latent class analysis of youth peacebuilders in a conflict‐affected setting

AbstractRebuilding society in the wake of conflict often falls on the generation born in peace. Yet, youth contributions to peacebuilding are often overlooked. This article challenges the narrative that sidelines the constructive contributions of young people in conflict‐affected settings. Instead, we identify different kinds of youth peacebuilders. Using a person‐centered approach, we conduct a latent class analysis of 590 adolescents (Mage = 16.8, SDage = 2.0, years old), evenly split by sex (51% female) and representing both communities, or conflict‐related identity groups, in Northern Ireland (38% Catholic, 62% Protestant). Across 10 indicators capturing different types and targets of prosocial action, the best fit to the data was a four‐class model: Peace in Name Only (36%), Peace at Home (33%), Peace Within Community (13%), and Future Peacebuilder (16%). Class membership varied based on youth's prior exposure to intergroup threat, or sectarian antisocial behavior. Prior exposure was related to a higher probability of being in the Peace at Home or Future Peacebuilder, compared to the Peace in Name Only class. The importance of recognizing the different kinds of youth peacebuilders in a conflict‐affected society is discussed, along with implications for global policy.

Doing good is not equal to good people: The wealth‐based gap in prosocial motive attributions

AbstractAre attributions of motives for prosocial behaviour modulated by the actor's wealth? We provide evidence for people attributing higher reputational motives to rich prosocial actors than poor ones across four studies. This effect persists across different kinds of prosocial behaviours, including helping (Study 1), volunteering (Study 2), and donating money (Studies 3–4). Furthermore, rich (vs. poor) prosocial actors are perceived to be less likely to be driven by altruistic motives and to have lower moral character than poor actors (Studies 2–3). Attribution of reputational motives and altruistic motives mediates the effect of target wealth on the perception of moral character (Study 2–3). Study 4 demonstrates that the judgement gap disappears when reputational benefits are implausible: voluntary privacy eliminates the wealth‐based gap in motive attributions and judgement of moral character. These findings highlight that suspicion of motives prevents people from giving credit to rich prosocial actors. The implications for understanding motive inferences and prosocial credit are also discussed.

The beneficial effects of social support and prosocial behavior on immunity and health: A psychoneuroimmunology perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the pivotal role of the social environment, prompting a surge in research on its impact on well-being and health. This article aims to examine the link between the social environment, the immune system, and health outcomes, with a particular focus on positive aspects like social support and prosocial behaviors that are under-explored. Different aspects of the social environment are examined: the negative effects of loneliness and adverse social conditions, contrasted with the benefits of social support and prosocial behaviors. While the mechanisms behind negative effects are partially studied, those driving the positive effects remain elusive. Understanding the mechanisms of lack of social connection and their effects will allow us to explore the benefits of social connections and whether they can reverse the adverse outcomes. Potential psychoneuroimmunology mechanisms are proposed, highlighting the promotion of a ‘safe’ state by the vagus nerve, oxytocin circuits, and the additional contribution of the reward pathways. This article reviews the need to bridge knowledge gaps, urging further research to study the causal effects of positive social interactions on immune response and health outcomes to raise clinical awareness and interventions. Such interventions may include integrating lonely individuals with prosocial activities, thereby improving their physical and mental health. There is growing potential to harness the power of social connections for the betterment of individual health and society as a whole.

The Interactive Effect of Incentive Salience and Prosocial Motivation on Prosocial Behavior

Charities often use incentives to increase prosocial action. However, charities sometimes downplay these incentives in their messaging (pilot study), possibly to avoid demotivating donors. We challenge this strategy, examining whether increasing the salience of incentives for prosocial action can in fact motivate charitable behavior. Three controlled experiments (N = 2,203 adults) and a field study with an alumni-donation campaign (N = 22,468 adults) found that more (vs. less) salient incentives are more effective at increasing prosocial behavior when prosocial motivation is low (vs. high). This is because more (vs. less) salient incentives increase relative consideration of self-interest (vs. other-regarding) benefits, which is a stronger driver of behavior at low (vs. high) levels of prosocial motivation. By identifying that prosocial motivation moderates the effect of incentive salience on charitable behavior, and by detailing the underlying mechanism, we advance theory and practice on incentive salience, motivation, and charitable giving.

Mediating Effects of Guilt and Shame on the Helping Behavior of People who Have Witnessed Ostracism.

Social connections are fundamental to human well-being, yet ostracism can lead to mental and physical maladjustment. Ostracized individuals often attempt to reconnect, but their efforts can be hindered by feelings of helplessness and depression. This study examines factors that facilitate helping behavior toward ostracized individuals by third parties who witness the ostracism, that is, the mediating effects of guilt and shame on the effects of witnessing ostracism on subsequent helping behavior. Participants (n = 161) read scenarios depicting ostracism or inclusion situations and reported their likelihood to engage in helping behaviors and their feelings of guilt and shame after witnessing the events. Results indicated that guilt mediated a positive relationship between witnessing ostracism and subsequent helping behavior, whereas shame mediated a negative relationship. These findings are consistent with existing research on the prosocial motivation of guilt and the avoidance tendencies of shame. The results highlight the complex interplay of emotions in shaping bystander responses to ostracism and shed light on potential interventions to promote inclusive behaviors. By influencing the emotions of bystanders, prosocial actions based on guilt can be encouraged and avoidance based on shame can be discouraged, ultimately promoting a more inclusive society.

Cheap signaling of altruism

Decisions on whether to engage in a pro-social act can separate altruistic from non-altruistic individuals. We explore the role of the probability that the pro-social action has to be carried out after publicly deciding in favor of it. In such a signaling environment, a lower probability that the act has to be carried out cheapens the signal. We use a model to predict how this cheapness influences decision-making behavior and the updating of beliefs about the decision-maker’s level of altruism. In a laboratory experiment, we test the model’s predictions by varying the probability that the pro-social decision has to be carried out and the strength of image concerns. If the image concern is non-monetary, the experimental data reveals that, in line with the model’s predictions, the share of pro-social decisions increases in the case of cheaper signals. The prediction that the effect of the cheapness increases with image concerns cannot be confirmed by the data. Belief-updating is a crucial element of modeling pro-social decision-making in signaling environments, as it provides the trade-off between costs and image benefits. However, the experimental data does not show significant belief-updating differences depending on the cheapness of the signal after observing a pro-social decision.

Iranian community-dwelling older adults' perceptions of prosociality: A qualitative study.

The world population is aging at an accelerating rate, and prosociality aspects increase in people with age. This study aimed to explore Iranian community-dwelling older adults' perspectives of the prosociality concept. This qualitative study was conducted among older adults aged 60 years and older in Qom City, Iran. A purposive sampling method was used to collect data between July and October 2022. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 older adults engaged in various types of prosocial activities. Data were analyzed applying a directed content analysis approach. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using MAXQDA 20 software. Overall, 5 main categories and 19 subcategories emerged from the content data analysis. The two emerged categories were related to the predetermined dimensions of the prosociality concept, namely, "prosocial behaviors" and "prosocial dispositions." The remaining three newly emerged categories included "egocentric motives," "facilitators," and "barriers" to prosocial behaviors. As participants reported, "informal spontaneous helping" was the most prevalent subcategory of prosocial behaviors. "Prosocial norms" and "social reward-seeking" were identified as the most common subcategories of prosocial dispositions and egocentric motives, respectively. Likewise, participants mentioned "religious and metaphysic beliefs" and "social distrust" as important facilitators and barriers, respectively. The results of this qualitative study provide a new understanding of the prosociality concept among older adults in the context of Iran. In conclusion, to improve prosocial behaviors in this population, the interaction between all factors that influence it such as motives, facilitators, and barriers must be considered.

Harnessing brand authenticity to promote prosocial service behavior

In today’s fiercely competitive, customer-centric, and service-driven marketplace, where customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty are hard-won currencies, brand authenticity emerges as a pivotal cornerstone, potentially fostering prosocial service behavior among employees—a crucial driver of organizational success. Yet, the intricate link between brand authenticity and prosocial service behavior remains a compelling and notably understudied frontier. To address this gap, we explore how prosocial service behavior can be shaped by brand authenticity. Using partial least squares–structural equation modeling based on survey responses from a random sample of 410 frontline employees in the hospitality industry, we found that brand authenticity alone cannot spark prosocial service behavior. Instead, brands must foster psychological empowerment and organizational commitment in order to activate and harness the power of brand authenticity in nurturing prosocial service behavior. This is because employees require both a belief in their own influence (empowerment) and a strong attachment to their organization (commitment) to fully express the genuine values of a brand through prosocial actions. However, caution should be noted: introducing job autonomy might diminish the impact of psychological empowerment. This counterintuitive effect could be attributed to the perception that excessive autonomy, while meant to empower, might be seen as a lack of guidance or support. Such a scenario may potentially make employees feel isolated or overwhelmed by decision-making responsibilities.

Helping others in real life and in the laboratory: pride and prosocial behavior

BackgroundProsocial behavior may depend on the emotions experienced, and positive emotions such as pride may promote helping, offering support, donating, and other prosocial activities. Two studies were conducted to examine the relationship between pride and prosocial behavior.Participants and procedureA correlational study, Study 1 (N = 365), was conducted during the second week of the 2022 war in Ukraine. In Study 2, a laboratory experiment (N = 82) was conducted to test the effect of pride (recalling an event in which a person felt proud) on prosocial behavior. A pilot study demonstrated the effectiveness of the experimental manipulation. Prosocial behavior was operationalized as the amount of money donated to charity in support of people in need and the number of leaflets taken in support of recruitment for the study.ResultsStudy 1 results showed a positive but weak correlation between pride and involvement in helping, as well as the number of hours spent helping Ukrainian refugees. Study 2 results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the amount of money donated to charity and in the number of leaflets taken.ConclusionsOur studies have provided new evidence for the role of pride in stimulating prosocial behavior. The inconsistent results of our research suggest that further studies are needed to better understand the relationship between pride and prosocial behavior.

Prosocial dynamics in multiagent systems

AbstractMeeting today's major scientific and societal challenges requires understanding dynamics of prosociality in complex adaptive systems. Artificial intelligence (AI) is intimately connected with these challenges, both as an application domain and as a source of new computational techniques: On the one hand, AI suggests new algorithmic recommendations and interaction paradigms, offering novel possibilities to engineer cooperation and alleviate conflict in multiagent (hybrid) systems; on the other hand, new learning algorithms provide improved techniques to simulate sophisticated agents and increasingly realistic environments. In various settings, prosocial actions are socially desirable yet individually costly, thereby introducing a social dilemma of cooperation. How can AI enable cooperation in such domains? How to understand long‐term dynamics in adaptive populations subject to such cooperation dilemmas? How to design cooperation incentives in multiagent learning systems? These are questions that I have been exploring and that I discussed during the New Faculty Highlights program at AAAI 2023. This paper summarizes and extends that talk.

Adaptation and validation of the French version of empathy questionnaire in preschoolers

AbstractAt preschool age, children need to develop socio‐emotional skills, including empathy, in order to adapt their response during social interactions with peers and adults in various contexts. When preschoolers face difficulties in their social interactions, it is relevant to assess their empathy in order to know whether a specific preventive intervention is needed. This study aimed to adapt and validate the French version of the Empathy Questionnaire (EmQue‐vf), which was completed by Belgian mothers of 307 children aged from 2 to 6 years. Mothers also completed the Griffith Empathy Measure (GEM‐vf), Theory of Mind Inventory (ToMI1‐vf) and Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC‐vf). A CFA confirmed a three‐factor structure for EmQue‐vf, including 14 items loading onto three factors: (1) Emotion Contagion, (2) Attention to Others’ Feelings, and (3) Prosocial Actions. This structure was confirmed for the boys’ and girls’ samples treated separately, as well as for the overall sample. Internal consistency ranged from acceptable for Emotion Contagion to good for Attention to Others’ Feelings and Prosocial Actions. In terms of concurrent criterion validity with GEM‐vf, the three factors of EmQue‐vf correlated positively with the affective empathy score and only the Prosocial Actions scale was positively linked with the cognitive empathy score. In terms of construct validity, Pearson's correlations showed a positive link between age and Prosocial Actions. Moreover, the three EmQue‐vf subscales were linked positively to Theory of Mind and emotion regulation scores. A negative link was obtained between Prosocial Actions and emotion dysregulation scores. In conclusion, EmQue‐vf presents good psychometric qualities. It will be a useful in future research and interventions involving French‐speaking children with and without developmental disorders.