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Deprived, but not depraved: Prosocial behavior is an adaptive response to lower socioeconomic status

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2017

Angela R. Robinson  and
Paul K. Piff
Angela R. Robinson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology & Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-7085. angelarr@uci.eduppiff@uci.eduhttps://angelarobinsonresearch.wordpress.comhttp://paulpiff.wixsite.com/paulpiff
Paul K. Piff
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology & Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-7085. angelarr@uci.eduppiff@uci.eduhttps://angelarobinsonresearch.wordpress.comhttp://paulpiff.wixsite.com/paulpiff
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Abstract

Individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES) display increased attentiveness to others and greater prosocial behavior compared to individuals of higher SES. We situate these effects within Pepper & Nettle's contextually appropriate response framework of SES. We argue that increased prosocial behavior is a contextually adaptive response for lower-SES individuals that serves to increase control over their more threatening social environments.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 40 , 2017 , e341
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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