Thwarted beneficence: Not getting to help lowers mood

The Journal of Positive Psychology. 2022. Vol. 17. No. 1. P. 21–33.

Titova L., Kennon M. Sheldon

Prosocial behavior benefits happiness, making such behavior an important strategy for achieving well-being. The present studies investigate if depriving people of the opportunity to help others lowers happiness. In Study 1 (N = 162), participants were randomly assigned to rate how they would feel if they intended to help someone and were able to help, if they intended to help someone but someone else helped first, or if they did not want to help someone. Participants who wanted to help but were deprived of this opportunity showed the lowest level of happiness (vs. other scenario conditions). Study 2 (N = 196) showed that thwarted autonomy, competence, and relatedness need satisfaction partially mediated the association between being deprived of helping someone and lower happiness. Study 3 (N = 234) replicated this effect with a different type of scenario and investigated an additional condition – when the target helps themselves. Moreover, Study 3 showed that thwarting of a fourth possible need, for beneficence, added to the mediation of the effect. These studies add to the literature on prosocial behavior and happiness by showing that being thwarted in enacting one’s prosocial intentions has negative consequences. They also add to emerging findings suggesting that beneficence may be a basic psychological need.

Keywords: well-being, happiness, SDT, prosocial behavior, basic psychological needs

Publication based on the results of: The role of meaning in success, well-being, and coping with life challenges (2022)