Not Only the Miserable Receive Help: Empathy Promotes Prosocial Behaviour Toward the Happy

Nils-Torge Telle; Hans-Rüdiger Pfister

doi:10.1007/s12144-012-9157-y

Not Only the Miserable Receive Help: Empathy Promotes Prosocial Behaviour Toward the Happy

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research

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Not Only the Miserable Receive Help: Empathy Promotes Prosocial Behaviour Toward the Happy. / Telle, Nils-Torge ; Pfister, Hans-Rüdiger.
In: Current Psychology, Vol. 31, No. 4, 12.2012, p. 393-413.

Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research

Bibtex

@article{7cce7ef917bf4f759cdfa6a608834545,

title = "Not Only the Miserable Receive Help: Empathy Promotes Prosocial Behaviour Toward the Happy",

abstract = "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.",

keywords = "Business psychology, Affect, Empathy, Prosocial behaviour, Situation",

author = "Nils-Torge Telle and Hans-R{\"u}diger Pfister",

year = "2012",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1007/s12144-012-9157-y",

language = "English",

volume = "31",

pages = "393--413",

journal = "Current Psychology",

issn = "1046-1310",

publisher = "Springer",

number = "4",

}

RIS

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 -

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