Social mindfulness and prosociality vary across the globe
- Author(s)
- Niels J. Van Doesum, Ryan O. Murphy, Marcello Gallucci, Efrat Aharonov-Majar, Ursula Athenstaedt, Wing Tung Au, Liying Bai, Robert Böhm, Inna Bovina, Nancy R. Buchan, Xiao-Ping Chen, Kitty B. Dumont, Jan B. Engelmann, Kimmo Eriksson, Hyun Euh, Susann Fiedler, Justin Friesen, Simon Gächter, Camilo Garcia, Roberto González, Sylvie Graf, Katarzyna Growiec, Serge Guimond, Martina Hřebíčková, Elizabeth Immer-Bernold, Jeff Joireman, Gokhan Karagonlar, Kerry Kawakami, Toko Kiyonari, Yu Kou, D. Michael Kuhlman, Alexandros-Andreas Kyrtsis, Siugmin Lay, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Norman P. Li, Yang Li, Boris Maciejovsky, Zoi Manesi, Ali Mashuri, Aurelia Mok, Karin S. Moser, Ladislav Moták, Adrian Netedu, Chandrasekhar Pammi, Michael J. Platow, Karolina Raczka-Winkler, Christopher P. Reinders Folmer, Cecilia Reyna, Angelo Romano, Shaul Shalvi, Cláudia Simão, Adam W. Stivers, Pontus Strimling, Yannis Tsirbas, Sonja Utz, Leander van der Meij, Sven Waldzus, Yiwen Wang, Bernd Weber, Ori Weisel, Tim Wildschut, Fabian Winter, Junhui Wu, Jose C. Yong, Paul A. M. Van Lange
- Abstract
Humans are social animals, but not everyone will be mindful of others to the same extent. Individual differences have been found, but would social mindfulness also be shaped by one’s location in the world? Expecting cross-national differences to exist, we examined if and how social mindfulness differs across countries. At little to no material cost, social mindfulness typically entails small acts of attention or kindness. Even though fairly common, such low-cost cooperation has received little empirical attention. Measuring social mindfulness across 31 samples from industrialized countries and regions (n = 8,354), we found considerable variation. Among selected country-level variables, greater social mindfulness was most strongly associated with countries’ better general performance on environmental protection. Together, our findings contribute to the literature on prosociality by targeting the kind of everyday cooperation that is more focused on communicating benevolence than on providing material benefits.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Occupational, Economic and Social Psychology
- External organisation(s)
- Leiden University, University of Amsterdam (UvA), Universität Zürich (UZH), Morningstar, Inc., Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Fuzhou University, University of Copenhagen, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, University of South Carolina, Columbia, University of Washington, University of South Africa (UNISA), Tinbergen Institute, Stockholm University, University of Minnesota, Mineapolis, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU), University of Winnipeg, University of Nottingham, Universidad Veracruzana, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Czech Academy of Sciences, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, University Clermont Auvergne-CNRS, Agilentia AG, Washington State University, Dokuz Eylül University, York University, Aoyama Gakuin University, Beijing Normal University, University of Delaware, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of Toronto, Singapore Management University, Nagoya University, University of California, Riverside, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Brawijaya, City University of Hong Kong (CityU), London South Bank University, University of Queensland, Aix-Marseille Université, Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza“ Iași, University of Allahabad, Australian National University, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Ghent University , Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Gonzaga University, The Institute for Futures Studies, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Eindhoven University of Technology, Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon , Tel Aviv University, University of Southampton, Max-Plank Institut zur Erforschung von Gemeinschaftsgütern, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
- Journal
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Volume
- 118
- No. of pages
- 9
- ISSN
- 0027-8424
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023846118
- Publication date
- 08-2021
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 501021 Social psychology
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/social-mindfulness-and-prosociality-vary-across-the-globe(b6339fa8-f76a-4f61-85f3-0ebabc079a82).html