Semantically induced memories of love and helping behavior.
This study tested the effect of semantically induced thoughts of love on helping behavior. In a natural setting, 253 participants were interviewed and asked to retrieve the memory of a love episode or, in the control condition, a piece of music they loved. They then met another confederate who asked for money. Analysis showed that inducing the idea of love had a significant positive effect on compliance to a request by a male passerby who was asked for help by a female confederate, but not by a female passerby. Theoretical explanations are presented, based on a gender-role expectation hypothesis.
Université Paris-Sud, IUT de Sceaux, 8, avenue Cauchy, 92330 Sceaux, France. Lubomir.Lamy@iut-sceaux.u-psud.fr
Lubomir
L
Lamy
Jacques
J
Fischer-Lokou
Nicolas
N
Guéguen
D000328:Adult; D000533:Altruism; D001290:Attitude; D035061:Control Groups; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009146:Music / Q000523:psychology; D012660:Semantics; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior