Do-gooder derogation in children: The social costs of generosity

• Main Authors: Arber eTasimi, Amy eDominguez, Karen eWynn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2015-07-01
• Series: Frontiers in Psychology
• Subjects: social cognition; cognitive development; morality; Prosocial Behavior; social comparison
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01036/full

Generosity is greatly valued and admired, but can it sometimes be unappealing? The current study investigated 8- to 10-year-old children’s (N=128) preference for generous individuals, and the effects of social comparison on their preferences. In Experiment 1, children showed a strong preference for a generous to a stingy child; however, this preference was significantly reduced in a situation that afforded children a comparison of their own (lesser) generosity to that of another child. In Experiment 2, children’s liking for a generous individual was not reduced when that individual was an adult, suggesting that similarity in age influences whether a child engages in social comparison. These findings indicate that, by middle childhood, coming up short in comparison with a peer can decrease one’s liking for a generous individual.