Thanks for Plenty
Zero-sum beliefs across age and generations
Veronica Vazquez-Olivieri, Tamar Kricheli-Katz & Boaz Keysar
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, forthcoming
Abstract:
Zero-sum beliefs, the idea that for one person to gain another must lose, are pervasive even in situations that are not zero-sum. This undermines judgment across contexts such as interpersonal relations, labor relations, public policies, international relations, and economic transactions. Here, we investigate how zero-sum beliefs differ as people age and why it happens. Across four experimental studies (N = 2,473), we discovered that older people hold fewer zero-sum beliefs than younger individuals. We show that this is partly a result of adopting more positive thinking than younger people and perceiving resources as less scarce. Using World Values Survey data (N = 207,171), we then find that this reduction in zero-sum beliefs is a function of both age and generation: The older people get, the less they hold zero-sum beliefs, and the generation who is older today is less zero-sum than today’s young generation. When people perceive situations that are not zero-sum as if they were zero-sum, it undermines the potential to increase mutual gains. The reduction of this bias with age could provide older people with opportunities they missed out on when they were younger. These findings are important in understanding the process of aging, and they have implications for negotiations and policy.
Does Maximizing Good Make People Look Bad?
Andres Montealegre et al.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, forthcoming
Abstract:
Despite the potential to significantly increase the impact of donations, people often fail to prioritize the cost-effectiveness of charities. This paper examines an explanation for why people may donate less effectively due to reputational concerns that favor empathizing with donation recipients rather than deliberating about the cost-effectiveness of charities. Across seven studies, we find that “deliberators” are perceived as less moral and less desirable as social partners than “empathizers.” Moreover, people accurately anticipate the reputational costs of deliberation and are more likely to donate to causes that evoke more empathy but are less cost-effective when reputational concerns are highlighted. Our findings suggest that there are disincentives for selecting charities by deliberating about their cost-effectiveness, as people are more rewarded for signaling socially valued moral traits than for prioritizing charitable impact.
Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: The Batman effect
Francesco Pagnini et al.
npj Mental Health Research, November 2025
Abstract:
Prosocial behavior, the act of helping others, is essential to social life, yet spontaneous environmental triggers for such behavior remain underexplored. This study tested whether an unexpected event, such as the presence of a person dressed as Batman, could increase prosocial behavior by disrupting routine and enhancing attention to the present moment. We conducted a quasi-experimental field study on the Milan metro, observing 138 rides. In the control condition, a female experimenter, appearing pregnant, boarded the train with an observer. In the experimental condition, an additional experimenter dressed as Batman entered from another door. Passengers were significantly more likely to offer their seat when Batman was present (67.21% vs. 37.66%, OR = 3.393, p < 0.001). Notably, 44% of those who offered their seat in the experimental condition reported not seeing Batman. These findings suggest that unexpected events can promote prosociality, even without conscious awareness, with implications for encouraging kindness in public settings.
Not a real meritocracy? How conspiracy beliefs reduce perceived distributive justice
Qi Zhao, Jan-Willem van Prooijen & Giuliana Spadaro
Political Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
The meritocracy principle, along with other distributive justice principles such as equality and need, is fundamental to the healthy functioning of modern societies. However, our understanding of the factors that shape citizens' perceptions of these principles remains limited. We proposed that conspiracy beliefs are negatively related to distributive perceptions and tested these relationships in four studies. Study 1 analyzed a global dataset (90,837 participants; 68 societies) and identified a negative relationship between conspiracy beliefs and meritocracy perceptions. Study 2a (preregistered; N = 403; US) and Study 2b (preregistered; N = 788; China) manipulated conspiracy beliefs in societal settings. Conspiracy beliefs consistently reduced perceptions of meritocracy, perceived equality, and need principles. Study 3 (preregistered; N = 403) replicated these results in a hypothetical organizational setting. These findings suggest that conspiracy beliefs reduce citizens' perceived fairness of resource allocations across different distributive justice rules.
From Vastness to Unity: Awe Strengthens Identity Fusion
Ji Young Song et al.
Emotion, forthcoming
Abstract:
Awe is theorized to serve a social function, enabling individuals to integrate into collaborative groups and engage in collective action. Across five studies (N = 1,124), we examined awe’s role in promoting identity fusion -- an apex form of group connection. Two cross-sectional studies (1a and 1b) revealed that dispositional awe predicted stronger identity fusion. Three subsequent experiments (Studies 2–5) demonstrated that awe experiences strengthened identity fusion, with analyses revealing that the small-self sense of “vastness vis-à-vis the self” provided a significant indirect pathway linking awe (vs. controls) to increased fusion. These effects replicated across varying awe manipulations (emotion recall and virtual reality), target groups (country, university, local community, and nature), and cultural contexts (Australian and American samples). Our findings suggest that awe primes a readiness to fuse with groups, creating an openness to deeper collective bonds. Importantly, rather than diminishing personal agency, awe appears to foster an interdependent alignment where personal and collective goals converge, motivating individuals to direct their capabilities toward shared goals through mutual strengthening between self and group.