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A behavioral measure for spite
Paul Romanowich1, Nathan A Wilson1, Amara M Wentz1
1Psychology Department, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA, USA.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|August 5, 2026
Summary
Spiteful behavior, harming others at personal cost, can be measured. While social distance reduced spite, increased loss for the other person had mixed effects, suggesting distinct processes from generosity.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Social Psychology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Spite, defined as incurring personal cost to harm another, is recognized in evolutionary biology and personality psychology.
- Empirical research on behavioral spite is limited, necessitating the development of quantitative measures.
- Understanding the variables influencing spite is crucial for comprehending social decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt a social discounting task for measuring behavioral spite.
- To investigate how social distance and potential loss for a disliked individual affect spiteful choices.
- To explore the relationship between spiteful behavior and personality traits like Machiavellianism.
Main Methods:
- A modified social discounting task was employed to assess participants' choices involving personal cost and harm to a disliked individual.
- Experiment 1 examined the effects of varying social distance and loss magnitude on spite rates.
- Experiment 2 involved older participants and further explored the impact of loss magnitude on spiteful choices, alongside correlating behavior with personality assessments.
Main Results:
- Over 50% of participants exhibited spiteful behavior, accepting personal loss for hypothetical rewards.
- Spite rates decreased hyperbolically with increased social distance but did not consistently increase with rising loss for the disliked person in Experiment 1.
- In Experiment 2, older participants showed increased spite with greater loss for the other person, and spiteful choices correlated with Spitefulness Scale and Machiavellianism scores.
Conclusions:
- The social discounting task effectively quantifies spiteful behavior.
- Social distance and potential loss influence spite differently, suggesting distinct underlying mechanisms compared to generosity.
- This research opens avenues for further investigation into the determinants of spiteful actions.
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