Physical Attractiveness and Altruism in Two Modified Dictator Games
Abstract
Several studies find that male individuals are more altruistic toward attractive women, suggesting altruism may serve as a courtship display. Many studies exploring this phenomenon have used vignettes and facial images. We tested the sexual selection hypothesis as an explanation for altruistic behavior, where players played the dictator game with “live” participants. Two studies were conducted (Study 1, n = 212; Study 2, n = 188) where we manipulated stakes and anonymity between participants to explore the relationship between the dictator’s allocations and their perceived attractiveness of the recipient. We found no relationship between attractiveness and altruism. Dictators were consistently fair when allocating stakes, irrespective of the recipients’ attractiveness.Citation
Bhogal, M.S., Galbraith, N., & Manktelow, K. (2016). Physical Attractiveness and Altruism in Two Modified Dictator Games. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 38 (4) pp 212-222. doi: 10.1080/01973533.2016.1199382Publisher
Taylor & FrancisJournal
Basic and Applied Social PsychologyAdditional Links
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01973533.2016.1199382Type
Journal articleLanguage
enISSN
0197-3533ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/01973533.2016.1199382
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