No place to hide: when shame causes proselfs to cooperate

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Behavioral Economics
• Experimental Psychology

Background:

• Shame is a social emotion linked to prosocial behavior.
• Previous research has not consistently shown that incidental shame enhances prosociality.
• The affect as information theory suggests emotions guide behavior based on their relevance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if incidental shame increases cooperation, specifically for self-interested individuals.
• To examine the role of context in shame's influence on prosocial behavior.
• To test the hypothesis that shame boosts cooperation when its action tendency is relevant.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of cooperation levels in simultaneous versus sequential prisoner's dilemma games.
• Manipulation of incidental shame.
• Analysis of player motivations and behavioral choices.

Main Results:

• Incidental shame positively influenced cooperation among self-interested individuals (proselfs) in a sequential prisoner's dilemma.
• Ashamed proselfs cooperated when their "greediness" was apparent and unavoidable.
• The effect was not attributed to a desire for atonement for past actions.

Conclusions:

• Shame can promote cooperation in self-interested individuals under specific contextual conditions.
• The relevance of shame's action tendency (i.e., avoiding exposure of negative behavior) is crucial for its prosocial effects.
• Findings challenge the universal link between shame and prosociality, emphasizing situational factors.