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Altruistic Behavior Depending on Opponents' Body Weight: An Experimental Approach
Marie Bernard1,2, Steffi G Riedel-Heller3, Claudia Luck-Sikorski4,5
1Integrated Research and Treatment Center AdiposityDiseases (IFB), University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany, marie.bernard@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.
Obesity Facts
|July 18, 2019
Summary
This study found no difference in altruistic behavior towards obese individuals, even with implicit anti-fat attitudes present. Explicit anti-fat attitudes, however, were linked to less altruistic behavior in people with obesity.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Obesity is a global public health concern with significant social and medical implications.
- Understanding social behaviors and attitudes towards individuals with obesity is crucial for addressing stigma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in altruistic behavior between obese and non-obese individuals.
- To examine altruistic behavior specifically towards obese individuals, including women.
- To assess the predictive role of implicit and explicit attitudes in shaping altruistic behavior towards people with obesity.
Main Methods:
- A dictator game was employed with 168 normal-weight participants.
- Participants allocated monetary rewards between themselves and hypothetical obese and normal-weight opponents.
- Implicit and explicit attitudes towards people with obesity were measured.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in altruistic behavior was observed between obese and non-obese opponents.
- Altruistic attitudes towards women with obesity did not differ significantly.
- Stronger explicit anti-fat attitudes correlated with less altruistic behavior, but implicit attitudes did not predict altruistic behavior.
Conclusions:
- This study did not find evidence of discrimination in altruistic behavior towards individuals with obesity.
- Implicit anti-fat attitudes did not predict altruistic behavior, suggesting a complex relationship with discrimination.
- Further research is needed to explore the nuances of discrimination and the impact of implicit attitudes on stigmatization.
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