Nonzero-Sum Time Perception Is Associated with Greater Willingness to Help
People are less likely to help others when they view time as a scarce resource. Does changing people’s <i>perception</i> of time influence their willingness to help? We hypothesized that people would be more willing to help and would allocate more time to helping others when they view ti...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/15/5/90 |
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| Summary: | People are less likely to help others when they view time as a scarce resource. Does changing people’s <i>perception</i> of time influence their willingness to help? We hypothesized that people would be more willing to help and would allocate more time to helping others when they view time as a <i>nonzero-sum</i> resource (i.e., as a resource that merely exists or that can be created moment-by-moment with their interactions with others) versus a <i>zero-sum</i> resource (i.e., a commodity that can be lost, taken, or given away). Study 1 measured people’s perception of time and their willingness to help in hypothetical vignettes. Studies 2 and 3 manipulated the perception of time to examine its effect on people’s willingness to help others and the amount of time they wanted to spend helping. Study 3 further examined prosocial motivation as a potential mediator. Across the three studies, we demonstrated that when people perceive time as a nonzero-sum resource versus a zero-sum resource, people are more willing to help others. People’s prosocial motivation to reduce others’ distress mediated this relationship. We speculate that when people perceive time to be nonzero-sum, time spent helping others is not viewed as costly, but as a resource to invest in to benefit both themselves and others. |
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| ISSN: | 2174-8144 2254-9625 |