Does empathy predict altruism in the wild?
Published version
Peer-reviewed
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Article
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Authors
Bethlehem, Richard AI 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.
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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
1747-0927
Volume Title
12
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
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Sponsorship
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (via Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) (unknown)
Medical Research Council (G0600977)
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.