Helping and Happiness

Altruism vs. Prosocial behavior Why do people help? Or not help? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43880728/ns

/world_news-europe/ https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9KuUR2-p9Q Do animals show prosocial behavior?

Kin altruism/inclusive fitness Direct reciprocity Indirect reciprocity Signaling theory Group selection theory/genetic/group selection Are these testable? Are there other explanations for these findings? What is the ultimate cause of prosocial

behavior, according to evolutionary psychologists?

Evolutionary approaches to prosocial behavior

Negative state relief model—Cialdini Arousal: cost-reward model—Piliavin Social learning Modeling Norms: reciprocity, fairness

Why else might we help?

When do we help according to this model? Batson paradigm Aversive-arousal reduction, empathy-

specific punishments, empathy-specific rewards, empathic joy, negative state-relief, feelings of oneness (Cialdini)

Benefits of altruism? Costs of altruism? How to measure/manip. empathy

Batson’s empathy-altruism hypothesis

Low empathy High empathy0

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See Carol Don't see her

Penner Prosocial Personality Battery◦ Ascription of responsibility◦ Empathic concern◦ Perspective taking◦ Personal distress◦ Other-oriented reasoning◦ Mutual-concern reasoning◦ Helpfulness

Gender Genetic basis

Who is more likely to help?

Women Similar others In group members More attractive people

Who gets help?

Cultural differences in helping See Table 2:

http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~ara/Manuscripts/Levine%20et%20al%20helping.pdf

Cultural differences in 3 situations More per capita purchasing power, less

helping Hispanic countries tended to be higher NO relationship to individualism/collectivism What do Keltner et al. say about cultural

differences in helping?

Population density◦ Why?

Time pressure (Samaritan study) Bystander intervention

◦ Notice◦ Interpret as emergency◦ Assume responsibility◦ Know how to act◦ Act

Situational effects

plenty of time on time in a hurry0

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Latané & Rodin results   intervening % pairs intervening Alone 70 91   w/Confederate 7 14   Two strangers23 40   Two friends 45 70

Social influence Audience inhibition Diffusion of responsibility http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjP22DpYYh8&feature=plcp&co

ntext=C3476ef2UDOEgsToPDskISJjYGpPomMBNuGB34GTlt

Bystander processes

Electrocuted experimenter Condition Process Help rate (In

%)  Alone None 95%

No contact DR 84%

Seen by other DR & AI 73%

See other person DR & SI 73%

See and be seen DR,AI,SI 50%

Latané, Harton, Bourgeois, Rockloff, etc.

Revised version for Dateline

Condition Process

Alone None

Back to Back DR

Participant faces the confederate’s

back

SI + DR

Confederate faces the participant’s

back

AI + DR

Face to face SI + AI + DR

Experimental conditions

Results Percentage helping

alone back to back seen not seeing see not seen face to face0

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Comments on the model/article? What are advantages/disadvantages to the

model? M * (D * (1+Bself) + K * Brecip – Cinact) > Caction

When does it say people will help? Table 1 How can we tell who will help us later? Is prosocial behavior “contagious”? Is game theory a good way to investigate

prosocial behavior?

SAVE model (Keltner et al., 2014)

How do the authors suggest that PB may be related to biology?

The neurology of PB

What leads people to volunteer? Differences by country

Volunteerism

Don’t force it Give kids a reason for behaviors Say “you’re helpful” Be a good parent/model positive behaviors http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JfHB2cruJU Prosocial tv and video games Educate about effects Prime being watched or a higher power Other ways?

How can you increase prosocial behavior?

History www.positivepsychology.org What is it?

Positive psychology

What is happiness? How is it operationally defined?

What is happiness made up of? What things make us happy? Why don’t other things we think would

make us happy work? Why don’t life circumstances matter more? Can we make ourselves happier? What are moderators of happiness

interventions and why do they work?

Layous & Lyubomirsky, 2014

Should governments measure/care about SWB?

What factors are related to more happiness in a country?

How does the US do on those? How can SWB be used in policy? Should it

be?

Diener, Oishi, & Lucas, 2015

What is the relationship between income and SWB?

When do we/do we not adapt? Should we be really happy or just fairly

happy? Is happiness always a good thing? What does knowing about national

happiness do for us? What is cause vs. effect? (does money

cause happiness or happiness, money?)

Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top.

The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you.

On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time? (ladder-present)

On which step do you think you will stand about five years from now? (ladder-future)

Cantril scale

Helpful websites http://themythsofhappiness.org/discover-ha

ppiness/ http://www.positivepsychology.org https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.

edu/