Prosocial Personality Research Articles

Personality testing of large language models: limited temporal stability, but highlighted prosociality.

As large language models (LLMs) continue to gain popularity due to their human-like traits and the intimacy they offer to users, their societal impact inevitably expands. This leads to the rising necessity for comprehensive studies to fully understand LLMs and reveal their potential opportunities, drawbacks and overall societal impact. With that in mind, this research conducted an extensive investigation into seven LLMs, aiming to assess the temporal stability and inter-rater agreement on their responses on personality instruments in two time points. In addition, LLMs' personality profile was analysed and compared with human normative data. The findings revealed varying levels of inter-rater agreement in the LLMs' responses over a short time, with some LLMs showing higher agreement (e.g. Llama3 and GPT-4o) compared with others (e.g. GPT-4 and Gemini). Furthermore, agreement depended on used instruments as well as on domain or trait. This implies the variable robustness in LLMs' ability to reliably simulate stable personality characteristics. In the case of scales which showed at least fair agreement, LLMs displayed mostly a socially desirable profile in both agentic and communal domains, as well as a prosocial personality profile reflected in higher agreeableness and conscientiousness and lower Machiavellianism. Exhibiting temporal stability and coherent responses on personality traits is crucial for AI systems due to their societal impact and AI safety concerns.

Social Media Use and Academic Performance in Chinese Children and Adolescents: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model.

Based on data from the 2022 Chinese Minors' Digital Life and Online Protection Survey, this study investigated the status quo of social media use and its influencing mechanism on academic performance among Chinese children and adolescents. The statistical results indicate that the average level of Chinese students' social media use was generally low, with their academic performance varying across socio-demographic and schooling characteristics. After controlling for other variables, it was found that the frequency of social media use could exert a significant positive impact on students' academic performance. Moreover, the mechanism analysis revealed that online learning behavior and prosocial behavior served as chain mediators linking social media use to academic performance. Specifically, students could transfer their social media behavioral patterns to the internet-based learning context, and then effectively utilize remote learning resources. Meanwhile, engagement with social media would cultivate individuals' prosocial personality, thereby stimulating intrinsic motivation for learning and ultimately enhancing academic performance. The heterogeneity analysis further confirmed that the impact of social media use on students' academic performance was stronger in lower-class families, underscoring the moderating role of family socioeconomic status in the relationship between social media use and academic performance. The findings suggest that if academic performance is regarded as an integral part of individual capacity development, then the rational utilization of social media resources might be a pivotal approach to alleviate the predicament of developmental inequality faced by students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Prosocial behaviour enhances evaluation of physical beauty.

Ten studies (N = 4192) demonstrated that individuals depicted as prosocial were judged to be more physically beautiful. This evaluation of prosocial individuals as more beautiful is influenced by a motivation to be associated with prosocial others. This phenomenon was observed in real-world settings (Study 1) and applied to both men and women, both as targets and observers (Studies 2a-2b). The effect persisted in scenarios where participants imagined the target without any visual aid (Study 2c) and extended beyond metaphorical interpretations of beauty (Study 3). The effect weakened when prosocial behaviour was an isolated incident, not indicative of the target's prosocial personality (Study 4). The influence of prosociality on beauty evaluations surpassed that of other positive traits such as intelligence or humour (Study 5) and remained significant despite physical imperfections in the target's appearance (Study 6). The effect diminished insituations where forming a relationship was not feasible, thus supporting the motivated cognition rationale (Studies 7-8). These findings highlight the substantial role of prosocial behaviour in influencing evaluations of physical beauty, a crucial element in social interactions and relationship formation, often outweighing other attributes typically linked to physical appearance evaluation.

Owner-rated personality in companion parrots (Aves; Psittaciformes); A four dimension model

Parrots are popular companion animals around the world. Unlike dogs and cats there are many different species kept as pets, meaning there is likely to be more variety in personality, although comparative studies are lacking. Companion psittacines are undomesticated and have complex needs in captivity, increasing the risk for rehoming and welfare issues. Although personality has been studied in birds, this is the first study which looks at personality across eight different taxonomic groups of captive parrots, rated by their owners. A survey of owners of 2200 parrots revealed a four-dimension model of personality: confidence, prosociality, neuroticism and playfulness. There were differences in the levels of these traits between taxonomic groups and variation depending on rearing history and wing clip status. African Grey parrots were lower in confidence than other groups. Hand rearing and wing clipping increased prosociality (perhaps as a substitute for domestication) but with a cost of increased neuroticism. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis showed that a highly neurotic, less prosocial personality predicted an owner’s intention to rehome their pet. To our knowledge this is the first study of personality across multiple taxonomic groups of psittacines, and the first to show the effects of common husbandry methods on personality, as well as showing personality can predict rehoming intention.

Привязанность к домашним питомцам и любовь к людям – есть ли связь?

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective. </strong>The study is aimed at investigating the relationship between attachment to pets and pro-social personality characteristics – environmental identity, moral motives, and ecological lifestyle. <br><strong>Background. </strong>Attachment to pets is being investigated in the context animal-assisted therapy animal rights protection but the question of the possible contribution of this phenomenon to the development of humane treatment of people is still open. Is it possible to expect that attachment to a pet has a humanizing effect or does retain its specificity without being related to the pet owners’ pro-social attitudes – this research question reflects the main problem of the study. <br><strong>Study design.</strong> The study has correlational design; data was collected online using the 1ka.si service.<br><strong>Participants.</strong> The study sample consisted of 284 respondents (224 women, 60 men, aged 18-76, <em>M</em><sub>age</sub> = 25,4, <em>SD</em><sub>age</sub> = 9,7, mostly owners of cats and dogs, mostly Russian citizens). <br><strong>Measurements.</strong> Validated Russian versions of the questionnaires were used, i.e., the Lexington attachment to pets scale (modified 8-item version prepared in this study), the 30-item Moral motives scale, the 14-item Environmental identity scale, and the 7-item Ecological lifestyle scale. <br><strong>Results</strong>. It has been found that different aspects of attachment to a pet are indeed associated with environmental identity, moral motives (with the exception of self-restraint), and social eco-activism. It is also shown that two aspects of attachment to pets (pet rights and the experience of happiness from communicating with a pet) in different combinations predict the motives of not-harming, helping, social justice, and social eco-activism. <br><strong>Conclusions</strong>. Attachment to pets is positively related to the pro-social attitudes of the pet owners, mostly those reflected an active pet owners’ position, but is not connected with the self-restraint qualities.</p>

The dimensionality of vaccination intentions: One strain or multiple strains?

People likely have different attitudes toward different vaccines (e.g., they may hold a positive attitude toward the measles, mumps, and rubella-vaccine while simultaneously hold a neutral attitude toward the flu shot). To examine the dimensionality of vaccination intentions, we measured vaccination intentions toward 16 different diseases. We hypothesized that people differentiate between child-directed vaccination intentions and self-directed vaccination intentions. Furthermore, we hypothesized that some commonly studied factors (e.g., trust in authorities and fear of needles) might have different associations with the two subtypes of vaccination intentions. We used data from a nationally representative sample of the Netherlands collected in 2021. We used exploratory (N = 865) and confirmatory factor analysis (N = 865) to evaluate the dimensionality hypothesis and used linear hypothesis tests (N = 1,779) to test whether the commonly studied factors had different associations with the different subtypes of vaccination intentions. The analysis showed two distinct factors of vaccination intentions: intentions toward childhood diseases and intentions toward nonchildhood diseases. Additionally, spiritual beliefs, trust in authorities, and belief in conspiracy theories had stronger associations with nonchildhood diseases than with childhood diseases. Fear of needles, prosocial personality, and religious orthodox beliefs did not have different associations with both types of vaccination intentions. These findings suggest that vaccination intentions is a multidimensional construct and that interventions may benefit from being tailored to the factors relevant for each specific type of vaccine. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Influence of Personality Traits on Social Entrepreneurship Intentions in the Moroccan Context

The main aim of this study is to investigate the intention of undergraduate students in Morocco to engage in social entrepreneurship. To achieve this, the research will adopt the theory of planned behaviour as the theoretical framework. The study extends the model by including entrepreneurial and pro-social personality traits as additional constructs. For that purpose, a survey was conducted on a sample of 300 young adults using a questionnaire. We find positive relationships between attitudes, perceived control, subjective norms, moral obligation, and social entrepreneurial intentions. Conversely, empathy did not have any influence on social entrepreneurial intentions, attitudes, or subjective norms. Overall, we contribute to the upcoming domain of social entrepreneurship research by investigating the relationship between entrepreneurial and pro-social personality traits and social entrepreneurial intention.

Association of prosocial personality traits with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in psychiatric nurses; Single-centre cross-sectional study in Croatia

IntroductionSymptoms of depression, anxiety and stress are more common in the population of nurses working in psychiatric hospitals than in many other segments of the health care system. These three elements of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress) may reduce the nurse’s ability to establish quality therapeutic relationships with patients, which are very important in the treatment of mental disorders. Some studies suggest that prosocial personality traits may have a protective role. Other research suggests that high levels of empathy, for example, may increase secondary traumatisation and lead to more pronounced symptoms of distress.ObjectivesThe main objective of the study was to examine the association of prosocial personality traits with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in nurses employed in a psychiatric clinic. The hypothesis was that more pronounced prosocial personality traits are associated with a lower expression of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.MethodsThe target population were nurses employed in a psychiatric hospital working directly with patients. No sample was selected, but the whole available population was invited to participate. The independent variable was prosocial personality traits measured by the Prosocial Personality Battery (PSB). The outcome was symptoms of distress (depression, anxiety and stress) measured using the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The hypothesis was tested using three linear regression analyses.ResultsTotal of 63 MST were included with a median (interquartile range) age of 34 (24-42) years. Prosocial personality traits were statistically significantly associated with scores on the DASS-21 subscale measuring depression: personal distress (PD) (r = 0.32; P = 0.01) and self-reported altruism (r = 0.30; P = 0.02). Only the subscale measuring the specific personality trait of personal distress (PD) was statistically significantly correlated with the scores of the other two DASS-21 subscales, anxiety and stress (anxiety: r = 0.54; P < 0.001; stress: 0.46; P < 0.001). Helpfulness was negatively related to anxiety (b = -0.29; P = 0.03).ConclusionsThis research partially confirmed the hypothesis that stronger prosocial personality traits are associated with a lower prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in the MST of employees in a psychiatric clinic.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Screening for Light Personalities in Portugal: A Cross-Cultural Validation of the Light Triad Scale With an At-risk-of-delinquency Sample

The Light Triad of personality refers to three prosocial personality traits—Faith in Humanity, Humanism, and Kantianism—that promote the worth and dignity of other people, focus on ethical behavior and empathy, and confidence that other people are naturally good. The aim of the present study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Light Triad Scale (LTS)—Portuguese version. Our convenience sample consisted of 242 male and female participants ( M = 30.19 years, SD = 12.78, range = 16–77) from Portugal. The proposed latent structure models of the LTS obtained adequate fits. Internal consistency/reliability, as measured by the alpha and omega coefficients, was adequate to good. Construct validity with other psychometric measures (i.e., empathy, dark traits of personality, propensity to morally disengage, and antisociality/criminality measures) and criterion-related validity (with justice involvement variables such as problems with the law, arrested by the police, sentenced to prison and alcohol/drug abuse variables) were demonstrated. Cross-gender measurement invariance was established, with females scoring higher than males. The findings support the use of the LTS as a valid and reliable measure.

Individual differences in cooperative and competitive play strategies.

Cooperation and competition are common in social interactions. It is not clear how individual differences in personality may predict performance strategies under these two contexts. We evaluated whether instructions to play cooperatively and competitively would differentially affect dyads playing a Pong video game. We hypothesized that instructions to play cooperatively would result in lower overall points scored and differences in paddle control kinematics relative to when participants were instructed to play competitively. We also predicted that higher scores in prosociality and Sportspersonship would be related to better performance during cooperative than competitive conditions. Pairs of participants played a Pong video game under cooperative and competitive instructions. During competitive trials, participants were instructed to score more points against one another to win the game. During the cooperative trials, participants were instructed to work together to score as few points against one another as possible. After game play, each participant completed surveys so we could measure their trait prosociality and Sportspersonship. Condition was a significant predictor of where along the paddle participants hit the ball, which controlled ball exit angles. Specifically, during cooperation participants concentrated ball contacts on the paddle towards the center to produce more consistent rebound angles. We found a significant correlation of Sex and the average points scored by participants during cooperative games, competitive games, and across all trials. Sex was also significantly correlated with paddle kinematics during cooperative games. The overall scores on the prosociality and Sportspersonship surveys were not significantly correlated with the performance outcomes in cooperative and competitive games. The dimension of prosociality assessing empathic concern was significantly correlated with performance outcomes during cooperative video game play. No Sportspersonship survey score was able to predict cooperative or competitive game performance, suggesting that Sportspersonship personality assessments are not reliable predictors of cooperative or competitive behaviors translated to a virtual game setting. Survey items and dimensions probing broader empathic concern may be more effective predictors of cooperative and competitive performance during interactive video game play. Further testing is encouraged to assess the efficacy of prosocial personality traits as predictors of cooperative and competitive video game behavior.

Prosocial behavior, psychological well-being, positive and negative affect among young adults: A cross-sectional study

Background: Prosocial behaviors are considered important moral and social behavior. Various researchers have found that prosocial behavior increases well-being; research is scarce on the effects of prosocial behavior on psychological well-being, positive and negative affect among adults. Aim: The present study investigated the relationship between prosocial behavior, psychological well-being, and positive and negative affect on adults. Materials and Methods: The study included 80 adults (19–25 years) males and females. Snowball and incidental sampling method is used for data collection. The tools used for the study are the Prosocial Personality Battery, Ryff's psychological well-being scale, and the positive and negative affect scale. Results: A positive correlation was found between prosocial behavior and psychological well-being (0.396 which is significant at 0.01 level). A positive correlation was also observed between prosocial behavior and positive affect (0.274 which is significant at 0.01 level). A negative correlation was found between prosocial behavior and negative affect (−0.191 which is significant at 0.05 level). Conclusion: People involved in Prosocial behavior showed a positive correlation with Psychological well-being and positive affect and a negative correlation with negative affects.

#Blessed: the moderating effect of dispositional gratitude on the relationship between social comparison and envy on Instagram

IntroductionThe role of dispositional gratitude as a positive psychological resource and prosocial personality trait in real life interactions militates in favor of its introduction to the research field of social media.MethodsBased on a literature review of the previously studied relationship of dispositional gratitude with social comparison and envy in offline settings, a twofold moderation model was proposed and quantitatively tested in a cross-sectional sample of N = 268 Instagram users aged between 18 and 40 years. Additionally, the dual conceptualization of benign and malicious envy was scrutinized by validating its respective connections with affective outcomes and inspiration on Instagram.Results and discussionDispositional gratitude serves as a protective factor when using Instagram by significantly mitigating the relationship of social comparison and malicious as well as general envy on Instagram. Furthermore, the results support the more nuanced understanding of envy as a dual construct in the face of social media use.

Exploring the effects of positive emotions and attribution on helping behaviors after exposure to meaningful and pleasurable movies

ABSTRACT This study examined whether elevation elicited by meaningful movie clips led to helping regardless of whether a stranger’s need for help is attributed to a controllable or an uncontrollable cause. It also compared elevation against positive-valenced affective state in facilitating prosocial behavior. A randomized, between-subject laboratory experiment was conducted with 208 undergraduate participants in the United States approximately one week after they completed a pretest survey. Although participants experienced the induced emotional state, neither of these two types of positive emotions explained their helping behavior. This points to the nuanced nature of the relationships between positive emotions and helping. The role of media content types, attribution, and prosocial personality are also discussed.

AVERSIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS AND INDIVIDUALISTIC SOCIAL RANK STYLES AS PREDICTORS OF A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION

The prognostic and mediational influences of basic and aversive personality traits, and social rank styles on individuals’ attitudes towards conspicuous consumption (ATCC, an indirect measure of the actual behaviour) were examined via path analysis[1]. The model (n=400, mean age=22.3) emphasised the direct and indirect effects of Extraversion, and the indirect effects of Neuroticism and Agreeableness which were sequentially mediated by all Dark Triad traits, and by two individualistic social rank styles: Dominant Leadership and Ruthless Self‑advancement. Dark Triad traits occupied the central position in the model connecting basic personality traits with social rank styles, and ultimately with ATCC. Machiavellianism was the only Dark Triad trait directly linked with ATCC, Dominant Leadership, and Ruthless Self-advancement. Narcissism exerted the main mediating effect on Dominant Leadership, while Machiavellianism and Psychopathy mediated the negative influence of Extraversion and Agreeableness on Ruthless Self-advancement. Both Dominant Leadership and Ruthless Self-advancement were directly predictive of ATCC. As two basic prosocial personality traits (Conscientiousness and Openness) and one prosocial rank strategy (Coalition Building) did not enter the model, we conclude that, from the present perspective, positive ATCC is linked to uncooperative and self-centred mindsets striving for superior positions in the social hierarchy. [1] The path analysis model upholds the dark side of affinity for conspicuous consumption. The model connects the personal traits domain with the personal strategies domain. Social rank styles are differentiated by basic and aversive personality traits. Each social rank style has a specific trajectory predictive of ATCC.[1] The path analysis model upholds the dark side of affinity for conspicuous consumption. The model connects the personal traits domain with the personal strategies domain. Social rank styles are differentiated by basic and aversive personality traits. Each social rank style has a specific trajectory predictive of ATCC.

Predicting Prosocial Personality, Other-Oriented Empathy, Helpfulness, and Social Exchange Styles Based on Value System

A deeper understanding and promotion of moral personality is achieved by understanding egoism better. To this end, this study investigates the associations between prosocial personality and social exchange styles based on a range of egoistic and altruistic values. The study has a descriptive-correlational design. Sampling was conducted using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Protocol Personality Battery, Social Exchange Styles Questionnaire, and Portrait Values Questionnaire and analysed using stepwise multiple linear regression and multi-dimensional scaling. Our findings show that conflicting predictive values in some exchange styles, which are close to the prosocial personality, could represent an egoistic-altruistic spectrum in those styles that supported the research hypothesis.

LIGHT TRIAD PERSONALITY TRAITS AND COPING STRATEGIES IN TEACHERS

Studies show that work-related stress among teachers is high. Job satisfaction and interactions with students are influenced by teachers’ coping skills with stressful situations and differences in response to stressful events can be explained by personality traits. The present study uses the Light Triad model of personality to examine whether prosocial traits such as empathy, compassion and altruism are associated with cognitive-emotional coping strategies in teachers. The prosocial orientation was measured using the Light Triad Scale (Johnson, 2018) and The Cognitive-Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski et al., 2007) was used to identify teachers’ cognitive-emotional coping strategies, in relation to negative events or situations. The participants in this study included 120 Romanian teachers from different levels of preuniversitary education. The results revealed that empathy and altruism have small negative correlations with catastrophizing; all three prosocial traits are associated with the positive reappraisal, empathy positively correlates with accepting negative events and refocusing on planning and altruism positively correlates with accepting negative events and putting into perspective. We also found a positive correlation between empathy and rumination. Our findings extend the current understanding of the relationship between teachers’ prosocial personality traits and the coping strategies they use following negative life events.

Motivational catalysts: the dominant role between prosocial personality and social entrepreneurial intentions among university students

PurposeSocial entrepreneurship has the potential to address societal challenges, and high-education students are expected to be future social leaders. However, engagement in social entrepreneurship remains low in many countries. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of motivational mechanisms (i.e. self-efficacy, social support and social worth) in the relationship between prosocial personality and social entrepreneurial intentions (SEIs).Design/methodology/approachBased on the theory of planned behaviour, the authors conducted a survey of 292 valid respondents from 35 major public and private universities. The collected data were analysed using the structural equation modelling technique. The reliability of the measurements and the model’s predictive capabilities are substantial and assured.FindingsThe findings suggest that prosocial personality alone does not directly predict social entrepreneurial behaviour. However, motivational forces are dominant mediators in the relationship between prosocial personality and SEIs. Specifically, self-efficacy, social support and social worth significantly mediate this relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study provide insights into why prior studies on this topic has produced contradictory results.Practical implicationsThe authors recommend that universities and policymakers provide adequate cognitive learning experiences, capacity-building programmes, funding support and recognition to enhance graduates’ inner strength and foster SEIs.Originality/valueThe empirical results resolve the contradictions found in many prior studies and highlight the importance of supportive mechanisms when promoting SEI in emerging regions.

PROSOCIAL PERSONALITY IN THE GENDER DIMENSION: THEORETICAL-METHODOLOGICAL AND APPLIED ASPECTS

An informative review of the UI of the All-Ukrainian scientific and practical conference with international participation «Prosocial personality in the gender dimension: theoretical, methodological and applied aspects», which took place at Uman State Pedagogical University named after Pavlo Tychyna on May 31, 2023, was carried out. The conference brought together scientists, teachers, public figures, students of higher education, representatives of territorial communities, who are working on solving the theoretical and practical aspects of the implementation of the main directions of the state gender policy.

Decision-Making during the Pandemic: Compassion, Trust, and the Altruistic Paradox

The occurrence of breakthrough infections with SARS-CoV-2 in vaccinated individuals argues against abandoning mitigation efforts such as social distancing. Some public health messages, however, promote vaccination by increasing psychological distress, which interferes with social distancing. Prosocial messages present an alternative approach that may avoid this problem. Accordingly, the present study examined the relation of pandemic mitigation with scores on prosocial personality traits (i.e., altruism, sympathy, and trust) and vaccination intentions. Regression analyses indicated that while vaccination intentions increased significantly with an increase in trust, distancing increased significantly with increases in altruism and sympathy. Because older adults are much more vulnerable to COVID-19 than younger adults, these findings reveal an altruistic paradox, in which older adults, perhaps the most altruistic portion of the population, may be dependent on the altruistic behavior of younger adults, who may be the least altruistic portion. The challenge for public health messaging will be to motivate younger adults to take the consequences of their mitigation decisions for others into account.

The relationship of trait-like compassion with epigenetic aging: The population-based prospective Young Finns Study.

Helping others within and beyond the family has been related to living a healthy and long life. Compassion is a prosocial personality trait characterized by concern for another person who is suffering and the motivation to help. The current study examines whether epigenetic aging is a potential biological mechanism that explains the link between prosociality and longevity. We used data from the Young Finns Study that follows six birth-cohorts from age 3-18 to 19-49. Trait-like compassion for others was measured with the Temperament and Character Inventory in the years 1997 and 2001. Epigenetic age acceleration and telomere length were measured with five DNA methylation (DNAm) indicators (DNAmAgeHorvath, IEAA_Hannum, EEAA_Hannum, DNAmPhenoAge, and DNAmTL) based on blood drawn in 2011. We controlled for sex, socioeconomic status in childhood and adulthood, and body-mass index. An association between higher compassion in 1997 and a less accelerated DNAmPhenoAge, which builds on previous work on phenotypic aging, approached statistical significance in a sex-adjusted model (n = 1,030; b = -0.34; p = 0.050). Compassion in 1997 predicted less accelerated epigenetic aging over and above the control variables (n = 843; b = -0.47; p = 0.016). There was no relationship between compassion in 2001 (n = 1108/910) and any of the other four studied epigenetic aging indicators. High compassion for others might indeed influence whether an individual's biological age is lower than their chronological age. The conducted robustness checks partially support this conclusion, yet cannot rule out that there might be a broader prosocial trait behind the findings. The observed associations are interesting but should be interpreted as weak requiring replication.