Selfless Giving

Abstract

In four studies, we show that people who anticipate more personal change over time give more to others. We measure and manipulate participants’ beliefs in the persistence of the defining psychological features of a person (e.g., his or her beliefs, values, and life goals) and measure generosity, finding support for the hypothesis in three studies using incentive-compatible charitable donation decisions and one involving hypothetical choices about sharing with loved ones.

Keywords: Decision making, Altruism, Intertemporal choice, Social behavior, Self-Interest, Generosity, Psychological connectedness, Personal identity, Morality, Values, Ethics