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Research Details
Prosocial behavior and reputation: When does doing good lead to looking good?, Current Opinion in Psychology
Abstract
One reason people engage in prosocial behavior is to reap the reputational benefits associated with being seen as generous. Yet, there isn’t a direct connection between doing good deeds and being seen as a good person. Prosocial actors are often met with suspicion and sometimes castigated as disingenuous braggarts, empty virtue-signalers, or holier-than-thou hypocrites. In this article, we review recent research on how people evaluate those who engage in prosocial behavior and identify key factors that influence whether observers will praise or denigrate a prosocial actor for doing a good deed.
Type
Article
Author(s)
Jonathan Berman, Ike Silver
Date Published
2022
Citations
Berman, Jonathan, and Ike Silver. 2022. Prosocial behavior and reputation: When does doing good lead to looking good?. Current Opinion in Psychology.