Exhibited trust and excessive knowledge specificity: A competitive altruism hypothesis

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 51-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taewon Suh
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Altruism

scholarly journals Men increase time spent on a charitable task when in the presence of women and other men: Evidence of competitive altruism in online mating scenarios

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Farmer ◽  
Daniel Farrelly
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Real World ◽  
Prosocial Behaviour ◽  
Financial Costs ◽  
Competitive Altruism ◽  
Prosocial Behaviours

AbstractPrevious research shows that competition can increase altruistic behaviour, however, the majority of such research focuses on financial costs and so our understanding is currently limited. Subsequently, the present study explored how competitive altruism can affect prosocial behaviour where time spent is the currency, using a real world charity. A sample of 67 men and 71 women completed the online altruistic task. As hypothesised, significant differences in giving behaviour due to competition were present in men but not women, suggesting that men use time spent here as a signal in mate choice scenarios. These findings therefore expand upon previous research on financial altruism, using artificial and/or hypothetical scenarios, by demonstrating that competitive altruism can be applied to real-world scenarios, where prosocial behaviours are of benefit. It also builds on previous research showing that men can compete with other men to display their altruistic nature to potential mates.

scholarly journals Harnessing the Power of Reputation: Strengths and Limits for Promoting Cooperative Behaviors

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 147470491201000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pat Barclay
Keyword(s):  
Social Systems ◽  
Tax Compliance ◽  
Costly Signaling ◽  
Environmental Behaviors ◽  
Indirect Reciprocity ◽  
Positive Behaviors ◽  
Competitive Altruism ◽  
Good Reputation ◽  
Cooperative Behaviors ◽  
Reputational Costs

Evolutionary approaches have done much to identify the pressures that select for cooperative sentiment. This helps us understand when and why cooperation will arise, and applied research shows how these pressures can be harnessed to promote various types of cooperation. In particular, recent evidence shows how opportunities to acquire a good reputation can promote cooperation in laboratory and applied settings. Cooperation can be promoted by tapping into forces like indirect reciprocity, costly signaling, and competitive altruism. When individuals help others, they receive reputational benefits (or avoid reputational costs), and this gives people an incentive to help. Such findings can be applied to promote many kinds of helping and cooperation, including charitable donations, tax compliance, sustainable and pro-environmental behaviors, risky heroism, and more. Despite the potential advantages of using reputation to promote positive behaviors, there are several risks and limits. Under some circumstances, opportunities for reputation will be ineffective or promote harmful behaviors. By better understanding the dynamics of reputation and the circumstances under which cooperation can evolve, we can better design social systems to increase the rate of cooperation and reduce conflict.

scholarly journals Gossip and competitive altruism support cooperation in a Public Good game

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1838) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Giardini ◽  
Daniele Vilone ◽  
Angel Sánchez ◽  
Alberto Antonioni
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Partner Choice ◽  
Public Good Game ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Honest Signalling ◽  
Public Goods Games ◽  
Group Competition ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Competitive Altruism

When there is an opportunity to gain a positive reputation, individuals are more willing to sacrifice their immediate self-interest. Partner choice creates opportunities for competitive altruism, i.e. individuals compete to be regarded as more generous and to be chosen for future partnerships. Tests of the competitive altruism hypothesis have focused so far on reputation based on direct observation, whereas the role of gossip has not been theoretically and empirically addressed. Partner choice can create an incentive to cooperate and to send truthful messages, but it can also work in the opposite direction. In order to understand the consequences of partner choice on cooperation and gossip, we designed an experimental study in which participants played a sequence of Public Goods games and gossip rounds. In our two treatments, we observed that cooperation increased when there was an opportunity to be selected, but also that cooperators sent more honest messages than defectors, and that this strategy was prevalent in the treatment in which inter-group competition was implemented. We also found evidence that participants detached themselves from the information more often when lying. Taken together, our study fills a theoretical and empirical gap by showing that partner choice increases both cooperation and honesty of gossip. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The language of cooperation: reputation and honest signalling’.

Recycling cooperation and buying status

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 944-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Costa Pinto ◽  
Márcia Maurer Herter ◽  
Patrícia Rossi ◽  
Walter Meucci Nique ◽  
Adilson Borges
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Competitive Altruism ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Pure Altruism ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to reconcile previous research that has provided mixed results regarding motivation for sustainable behaviors: pure altruism (cooperation) or competitive altruism (status). Drawing on evolutionary altruism and identity-based motivation, the authors propose that a match between pure (competitive) altruism and individualistic (collectivistic) identity goals enhance consumers’ motivations to engage in recycling (green buying). Design/methodology/approach Three experimental studies show how pure and competitive altruism are associated with specific sustainable consumption (Study 1) and how altruism types should be matched with identity goals to motivate sustainable consumption (Studies 2 and 3). Findings Study 1 shows that pure altruism is associated with recycling but not with green buying. Studies 2 and 3 show that pure (competitive) altruism and individualistic (collectivistic) goals lead to higher recycling (green buying) intentions. Research limitations/implications The present research extends previous findings by showing that pure and competitive are indeed associated with specific sustainable behaviors. The authors suggest that the interaction between motives and identity goals can lead to a greater impact on recycling and green buying intentions. Practical implications Public policymakers and companies will benefit by better understanding how specific combinations of altruism types and identity goals can foster recycling or green buying intentions. Originality/value This research is the first to show how matches between pure and competitive altruism types and individualistic and collectivistic identity goals affect consumers’ motivations to engage in recycling and green buying.

Competitive morality

2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-98
Author(s):  
Gilbert Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Partner Choice ◽  
Strategic Investment ◽  
Moral Conduct ◽  
Competitive Altruism

AbstractBaumard et al. argue that partner choice leads to fairness and mutualism, which then form the basis for morality. I comment that mutualism takes us only so far, and I apply the theory of competitive altruism in arguing how strategic investment in behaviours which make one a desirable partner may drive moral conduct.

Children engage in competitive altruism

2019 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 176-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Herrmann ◽  
Jan M. Engelmann ◽  
Michael Tomasello
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Altruism
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