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Publications
  • March 24, 2020
  • Article
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Delayed Negative Effects of Prosocial Spending on Happiness

By: Armin Falk and Thomas Graeber
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Abstract

Does prosocial behavior promote happiness? We test this longstanding hypothesis in a behavioral experiment that extends the scope of previous research. In our Saving a Life paradigm, every participant either saved one human life in expectation by triggering a targeted donation of 350 euros or received an amount of 100 euros. Using a choice paradigm between two binary lotteries with different chances of saving a life, we observed subjects’ intentions at the same time as creating random variation in prosocial outcomes. We repeatedly measured happiness at various delays. Our data weakly replicate the positive effect identified in previous research but only for the very short run. One month later, the sign of the effect reversed, and prosocial behavior led to significantly lower happiness than obtaining the money. Notably, even those subjects who chose prosocially were ultimately happier if they ended up getting the money for themselves. Our findings revealed a more nuanced causal relationship than previously suggested, providing an explanation for the apparent absence of universal prosocial behavior.

Keywords

Prosocial Behavior; Altruism; Happiness; Well-being; Spending; Behavior

Citation

Falk, Armin, and Thomas Graeber. "Delayed Negative Effects of Prosocial Spending on Happiness." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 12 (March 24, 2020): 6463–6468.
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About The Author

Thomas W. Graeber

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

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More from the Authors
  • Cognitive Uncertainty in Intertemporal Choice By: Benjamin Enke and Thomas Graeber
  • Measuring the Scientific Effectiveness of Contact Tracing: Evidence from a Natural Experiment By: Thiemo Fetzer and Thomas Graeber
  • Bayesian Signatures of Confidence and Central Tendency in Perceptual Judgment By: Yang Xiang, Thomas Graeber, Benjamin Enke and Samuel Gershman
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