Abstract
Cooperation is at the centre of human nature and at the heart of social
transformations. Grasping how strangers cooperate and behave with each
other may permit a better understanding of the way societies function and can
develop as they modernize. To advance this comprehension, this study
examines whether humans are naturally predisposed towards cooperation or
selfishness, and how their behavior changes when people have more time to
think. To answer these questions, the study implements an original natural field
experiment which exogenously varies response times (through average human
walking time) to analyze the intuitive and rational underpinnings of human
behavior. The experimental findings suggest that while humans are naturally
inclined to help each other, they start behaving more selfishly as thinking time
increases. There is also clear evidence that humans are prone to withhold help
when strangers violate social norms and the likelihood of such indirect
punishment increases when they have more time to think.
transformations. Grasping how strangers cooperate and behave with each
other may permit a better understanding of the way societies function and can
develop as they modernize. To advance this comprehension, this study
examines whether humans are naturally predisposed towards cooperation or
selfishness, and how their behavior changes when people have more time to
think. To answer these questions, the study implements an original natural field
experiment which exogenously varies response times (through average human
walking time) to analyze the intuitive and rational underpinnings of human
behavior. The experimental findings suggest that while humans are naturally
inclined to help each other, they start behaving more selfishly as thinking time
increases. There is also clear evidence that humans are prone to withhold help
when strangers violate social norms and the likelihood of such indirect
punishment increases when they have more time to think.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Den Haag |
| Publisher | International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) |
| Number of pages | 65 |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2016 |
Publication series
| Series | ISS working papers. General series |
|---|---|
| Number | 614 |
| ISSN | 0921-0210 |
Series
- ISS Working Paper-General Series