Nice guys finish first: the competitive altruism hypothesis.
Three experimental studies examined the relationship between altruistic behavior and the emergence of status hierarchies within groups. In each study, group members were confronted with a social dilemma in which they could either benefit themselves or their group. Study 1 revealed that in a reputation environment when contributions were public, people were more altruistic. In both Studies 1 and 2, the most altruistic members gained the highest status in their group and were most frequently preferred as cooperative interaction partners. Study 3 showed that as the costs of altruism increase, the status rewards also increase. These results support the premise at the heart of competitive altruism: Individuals may behave altruistically for reputation reasons because selective benefits (associated with status) accrue to the generous.
Hardy
Charlie L
CL
Department of Psychology, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NP, United Kingdom. ch89@kent.ac.uk
Van Vugt
Mark
M
D000328:Adult; D000533:Altruism; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D012928:Social Desirability; D012938:Social Perception