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Effects of positive and negative moods on helping tasks having pleasant or unpleasant consequences

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Abstract

A field study investigated the effects of positive and negative moods on subjects' willingness to perform helping tasks having pleasant or unpleasant consequences. Results indicated that procedures designed to induce either positive or negative moods facilitate helping when the task has pleasant consequences, but tend to inhibit helping when the task is likely to be unpleasant. The findings are consistent with the notion that many everyday acts of kindness (altruism) are interpretable as a form of hedonism. The implications of these outcomes for an activation model of mood-induced altruism are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 30602, Athens, Georgia

    David R. Shaffer & William G. Graziano

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  1. David R. Shaffer
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  2. William G. Graziano
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Additional information

We wish to thank Marilyn Green, Leslie Hill, Vernessa Washington, and Annette Yancy for their assistance in collecting the data.

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Shaffer, D.R., Graziano, W.G. Effects of positive and negative moods on helping tasks having pleasant or unpleasant consequences. Motiv Emot 7, 269–278 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991677

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991677

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