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Some individuals interpret life events as a consequence of their personal choices and actions, while others believe that outcomes are dictated by fate or destiny. This divergence in perspective has been examined in psychological and cross-cultural studies, particularly in relation to religious faith and cultural beliefs about causality.Fate and Personal ResponsibilityPeople who emphasize personal responsibility view events as direct consequences of their decisions. For instance, breaking a leg...
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Updated: Feb 14, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
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Aging and altruism in intertemporal choice.

Erika P Sparrow1, Julia Spaniol1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Ryerson University.

Psychology and Aging
|February 16, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Older adults show increased altruism, making more generous choices when donating to charity compared to personal financial decisions. This "altruism effect" on intertemporal choices is more pronounced with age.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Economics
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Individuals frequently make decisions impacting others, not just themselves.
  • Altruistic motivations are theorized to strengthen across the lifespan.
  • Previous research has not explored how altruism influences tolerance for delayed gratification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between age, altruism, and intertemporal decision-making.
  • To determine if altruistic motives affect choices involving financial trade-offs over time.
  • To examine age-related differences in the impact of altruism on delayed gratification.

Main Methods:

  • A financial decision-making task involving choices for gains, losses, and charitable donations.

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  • Participants made intertemporal choices between smaller-immediate and larger-later options.
  • Two experiments were conducted, with the second performed online to mitigate demand characteristics.

    • Main Results:

    • Participants favored larger-later options more frequently in donation scenarios than in loss scenarios.
    • The "altruism effect"—the tendency to choose delayed rewards when benefiting charity—was significantly amplified in older adults compared to younger adults.
    • Findings were consistent across both experimental settings.

    Conclusions:

    • Altruism influences intertemporal choices, particularly in older adults.
    • This study provides the first evidence of altruism's impact on delayed gratification across the lifespan.
    • Results support the notion of age-related increases in altruistic behavior.