Not Only the Miserable Receive Help: Empathy Promotes Prosocial Behaviour Toward the Happy
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung
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in: Current Psychology, Jahrgang 31, Nr. 4, 12.2012, S. 393-413.
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Not Only the Miserable Receive Help
T2 - Empathy Promotes Prosocial Behaviour Toward the Happy
AU - Telle, Nils-Torge
AU - Pfister, Hans-Rüdiger
PY - 2012/12
Y1 - 2012/12
N2 - Two studies investigated how person- and situation-related informationelicit empathy and subsequent prosocial behaviour. Results show that congruent information (for example, positive emotion after positive event) elicits more empathy than incongruent information (for example, negative emotion after positive event). The extent of prosocial behaviour was observed to be an additive effect of person- and situation-related information, with congruent negative information eliciting most prosocial behaviour (study 1). In addition to an observed direct effect of perceived negative affect, empathy partially mediated prosocial behaviour in response to perceived positive affect. Corroborating these results, study 2 indicates a full mediation effect of empathic responsiveness to happiness on prosocial responding. This suggests that two different mechanisms may trigger prosocial behaviour: a direct influence of perceived negative affect, and an empathy mediated influence of perceived positive affect.
AB - Two studies investigated how person- and situation-related informationelicit empathy and subsequent prosocial behaviour. Results show that congruent information (for example, positive emotion after positive event) elicits more empathy than incongruent information (for example, negative emotion after positive event). The extent of prosocial behaviour was observed to be an additive effect of person- and situation-related information, with congruent negative information eliciting most prosocial behaviour (study 1). In addition to an observed direct effect of perceived negative affect, empathy partially mediated prosocial behaviour in response to perceived positive affect. Corroborating these results, study 2 indicates a full mediation effect of empathic responsiveness to happiness on prosocial responding. This suggests that two different mechanisms may trigger prosocial behaviour: a direct influence of perceived negative affect, and an empathy mediated influence of perceived positive affect.
KW - Business psychology
KW - Affect
KW - Empathy
KW - Prosocial behaviour
KW - Situation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84870793189&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12144-012-9157-y
DO - 10.1007/s12144-012-9157-y
M3 - Journal articles
VL - 31
SP - 393
EP - 413
JO - Current Psychology
JF - Current Psychology
SN - 1046-1310
IS - 4
ER -