The relationship between rejection avoidance and altruism is moderated by social norms

Abstract

Recently, the relationship between reputation and altruism has gained significant attention. The present study examined whether the relationship between rejection avoidance and altruism differs according to social norms. A total of 320 participants completed an online survey with questions concerning rejection avoidance and altruism in situations where either a prosocial or non-prosocial norm was present. As predicted, people with higher levels of rejection avoidance displayed less altruism only in the context of non-prosocial norms. This result corresponds with previous evidence that suggests that altruism can be evaluated negatively by others when it deviates from social norms. These findings shed a new light on the relationship between reputation and altruism.