People are more likely to do something good for others when they understand the consequences of their actions and would feel guilty if they made a less prosocial choice. This finding comes from a new international study conducted in 20 countries, which also found that people often avoid guilt by deliberately ignoring the impact of their decisions. Surprisingly, shame about what others might think had little effect on social behaviour.

In a well-functioning society, it is important that people act with others in mind - even when doing so does not benefit them personally. Yet across the world, some people behave far more socially than others. Why is that? Does it depend on the culture someone is raised in or are there more general psychological explanations?

An international team, including researchers from the University of Amsterdam, looked into the roles of guilt versus shame. Do we act more prosocially when we understand how our actions affect others (guilt), or when we care about what others think of us (shame)?

Helping yourself or helping others
To answer that question, nearly 8,000 participants from 20 countries worldwide took part in a large-scale experiment. They were asked to divide a sum of money, with real-life consequences for themselves and for anonymous strangers. Participants could choose an option that benefited themselves but hurt the other person or choose a fairer option that cost them slightly more.

The researchers added a twist: in some cases, participants were allowed to avoid finding out how their choice would affect the other person. That way, they could avoid feeling guilty. In other cases, participants were told that their decision would be made public, potentially exposing them to shame.

Guilt drives prosocial behaviour
In every country, guilt proved to be the strongest motivator of prosocial behaviour. When participants were informed about the consequences of their choice for the other person, 60% chose the prosocial option. People who were more prone to guilt were even more sensitive to this information.

But when participants had the option of not knowing how their actions would affect others, only 41% chose the prosocial option. According to the researchers, this ‘head-in-the-sand’ behaviour also occurs in real life. People ignore the negative consequences of their choices - even when the information is readily available. For example, when deciding what to buy, where to invest or which policies to support.

Shame does not make a difference
Interestingly, the researchers found little evidence that shame motivates prosocial behaviour. Participants were barely influenced by the idea that others might see their decisions, even those who were naturally more sensitive to shame.

How to encourage prosocial choices
What this study shows, according to the researchers, is that if we want people to behave in a more prosocial manner, we need to inform them clearly about the consequences of their actions and make it harder for them to stay in the dark. ‘Situations that allow people to ignore the negative consequences of their actions, to others or the environment, promote selfish behaviour,’ says behavioural economist Shaun Salvi of the University of Amsterdam. ‘Highlighting the negative impact one’s actions have on others could increase kind and considerate behaviour. A very desirable end goal.’