The Emotional Consequences of Pro-social Behavior in Markets

Toke Fosgaard (tf@foi.ku.dk)
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Toke Fosgaard: Institute of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen

No 2012/1, IFRO Working Paper from University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics

Abstract: Pro-social behavior made when buying private goods is becoming increasingly popular. Several findings from behavioral and experimental economics however emphasizes that people are less pro-social in such situations, compared to pro-social decisions in non-market contexts. This paper suggests that emotional responses are important explanations of this finding. It is first argued that the emotional response to a pro-social decision combined with private good purchase is different from the response to a similar decision in a non-market situation. Through evidence from a laboratory experiment, it is then found, that deciding on a social choice in a market exchange involves a less positive emotional reaction to others, compared to non-market situations. Moreover, subjects in market contexts are found to be less responsive to other subjects’ contribution behavior, relative to the non-market contexts.

Keywords: Emotions; market exchange; pro-social behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C92 H41 M14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26 pages
Date: 2011-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-evo, nep-exp, nep-hpe, nep-neu and nep-soc
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