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Does empathy predict altruism in the wild?

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Bethlehem, Richard AI  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0714-0685
Allison, Carrie 
van Andel, Emma M 
Coles, Alexander I 
Neil, Kimberley 

Abstract

Why do people act altruistically? One theory is that empathy is a driver of morality. Experimental studies of this are often confined to laboratory settings, which often lack ecological validity. In the present study we investigated whether empathy traits predict if people will act altruistically in a real-world setting, "in the wild". We staged a situation in public that was designed to elicit helping, and subsequently measured empathic traits in those who either stopped to help or walked past and did not help. Results show that a higher number of empathic traits are a significant and positive predictor for altruistic behavior in a real-life situation. This supports the theory that the act of doing good is correlated with empathy.

Description

Keywords

Empathy, altruism, autism, real-life, social behavior, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Altruism, Autistic Disorder, Empathy, Female, Helping Behavior, Humans, Logistic Models, Male, Middle Aged, Psychological Tests, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult

Journal Title

Soc Neurosci

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1747-0919
1747-0927

Volume Title

12

Publisher

Informa UK Limited
Sponsorship
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (via Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) (unknown)
Medical Research Council (G0600977)
This work was supported by the Autism Research Trust and the Medical Research Council; Pinsent Darwin Trust, Medical Research Council and Cambridge Trust; National Institute for Health Research.