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Published on: June 23, 2022
Semantically induced memories of love and helping behavior
Lubomir Lamy1, Jacques Fischer-Lokou, Nicolas Guéguen
1Université Paris-Sud, IUT de Sceaux, 8, avenue Cauchy, 92330 Sceaux, France. Lubomir.Lamy@iut-sceaux.u-psud.fr
Abstract:
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.
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