Are Real-World Prosociality Programs Associated with Greater Psychological Well-Being in Primary School-Aged Children?

Jason D. E. Proulx (), Julia W. Van de Vondervoort, J. Kiley Hamlin, John Helliwell and Lara B. Aknin
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Jason D. E. Proulx: Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Julia W. Van de Vondervoort: Department of Philosophy & Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
J. Kiley Hamlin: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Lara B. Aknin: Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: Quality education can build a sustainable, happier world, but what experiences support student well-being? Numerous laboratory studies suggest that prosocial behavior predicts greater psychological well-being. However, relatively little work has examined whether real-world prosociality programs are associated with greater well-being in primary school-aged children (aged 5–12). In Study 1, we surveyed 24/25 students who completed their 6th Grade curriculum in a long-term care home alongside residents called “Elders,” which offered numerous opportunities for planned and spontaneous helping. We found that the meaning that students derived from their prosocial interactions with the Elders was strongly associated with greater psychological well-being. In Study 2, we conducted a pre-registered field experiment with 238 primary school-aged children randomly assigned to package essential items for children who experience homelessness and/or poverty who were either demographically similar or dissimilar in age and/or gender to them as part of a classroom outing. Children self-reported their happiness both pre- and post-intervention. While happiness increased from pre- to post-intervention, this change did not differ for children who helped a similar or dissimilar recipient. These studies offer real-world evidence consistent with the possibility that engaging in prosocial classroom activities—over an afternoon or year—is associated with greater psychological well-being in primary school-aged children.

Keywords: prosocial behavior; well-being; prosociality interventions; prosocial (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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