The presence of others increases prosociality: examining the role of dating Partners accompany on donation

Title

The presence of others increases prosociality: examining the role of dating Partners accompany on donation

Creator

Roy S.; Maheshwari S.; Thargay T.

Description

Research in the field of prosocial behavior has shown that the presence of others has a significant effect on individuals prosociality. However, no research has explored such an effect of romantic partners presence. Studies in evolutionary psychology have shown benevolence/prosociality as an important factor when choosing a romantic partner. Therefore, in the present study, we hypothesized that people will donate more in the presence of dating partners to maintain a positive impression on them. The research followed a mixed-method approach. The first study, a vignette-based experiment showed that people believed the presence of a dating partner significantly enhances the chances of donation. The second study was a between-subject experiment that confirmed the findings of study 1 from both donors and receivers perspectives. The third study was a qualitative investigation, where a semi-structured interview method was used to find out how and why the presence of a dating partner may influence donation. The interviews showed that the presence of dating partners increases prosociality mainly because donors want to make a good impression and project the right image of them in their partners eyes. The research overall suggests that the human need for self-presentation that projects them more socially likable shapes their willingness to extend a helping hand to others in the presence of their romantic partners. 2024 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Source

Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment

Date

2024-01-01

Publisher

Routledge

Subject

Donation; impression management; presence of others; prosociality; romantic partner; self-presentation

Coverage

Roy S., Department of Psychology, Sikkim University, Gangtok, India, Department of Psychology, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India; Maheshwari S., Department of Psychology, Sikkim University, Gangtok, India, School of Liberal Arts, IIT, Jodhpur, India; Thargay T., Department of Psychology, Sikkim University, Gangtok, India, Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness, IIT, Kharagpur, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISSN: 10911359

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2024.2342377

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85191197779&doi=10.1080%2f10911359.2024.2342377&partnerID=40&md5=d3ca007605ed57544fd77ce34db3e163