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Does gratitude moderate the bystander effect? A registered report.
Ryuji Oguni1,2, Yukari Jessica Tham3, Chikara Ishii4
1Faculty of Psychology, Shujitsu University, Naka-ku, Okayama, Japan.
Cognition & Emotion
|July 8, 2026
Summary
Gratitude encourages prosocial behavior, but does not overcome the bystander effect when multiple potential helpers are present. More potential benefactors reduce helping behavior, regardless of gratitude.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Decision Making
Background:
- The prosocial impact of gratitude is recognized in dyadic interactions.
- Its influence in scenarios with numerous potential benefactors remains unexplored.
- Increased benefactor numbers complicate prosocial choices due to diffused responsibility and uncertain intentions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if gratitude enhances prosocial behavior among multiple potential benefactors.
- To determine if gratitude mitigates the bystander effect as benefactor numbers rise.
Main Methods:
- A registered report study involving 867 participants.
- Random assignment to gratitude, calm, or neutral emotional states.
- Decision-making task involving resource allocation with one, three, or five potential benefactors.
Main Results:
- Prosocial behavior significantly decreased as the number of potential benefactors increased, confirming the bystander effect.
- Gratitude induction led to increased prosocial behavior.
- Gratitude did not moderate the negative impact of increasing benefactor numbers on prosocial actions.
Conclusions:
- Gratitude promotes prosocial behavior independently.
- Gratitude does not counteract the bystander effect in situations with multiple potential benefactors.
- The study clarifies the boundaries of gratitude's prosocial influence in complex social contexts.
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