How Do Stress and Social Closeness Impact Prosocial Behavior?

Factors such as time pressure and psychosocial stress may increase or decrease prosocial behavior depending on a number of factors. One factor that consistently positively impacts prosocial behavior is relationship status: Prosocial behavior is more likely toward kin than toward strangers. The inter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental psychology 2020-03, Vol.67 (2), p.123-131
Main Authors: Passarelli, Thomas O, Buchanan, Tony W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Charitable Behavior
College Students
Decision Making
Female
Human
Interpersonal Relationships
Kinship
Male
Prosocial Behavior
Psychosocial Factors
Social Inclusion
Stress
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Summary:Factors such as time pressure and psychosocial stress may increase or decrease prosocial behavior depending on a number of factors. One factor that consistently positively impacts prosocial behavior is relationship status: Prosocial behavior is more likely toward kin than toward strangers. The interactions among stress, kin relationships, and prosocial behavior were examined in two separate experiments. In Study 1, 79 university students were asked to decide how much money to donate to family members, friends, or strangers, either under time pressure or with no time constraints. Participants donated more to close kin and friends than to strangers, but time pressure did not increase prosocial behavior. In Study 2, 94 university students completed the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G) or a control task, followed by a similar donation task as used in Study 1. Participants donated more to close kin and friends than to strangers, but stress did not influence donation amounts. These results do not support the hypothesis that stress due to time pressure or psychosocial factors increases prosocial behavior.
ISSN:1618-3169
2190-5142
DOI:10.1027/1618-3169/a000482