The hidden cost of humanization: individualizing information reduces prosocial behavior toward in-group members

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2021.102424

Explanation

This study reports robust experimental evidence that humanization leads to a decrease in prosocial behavior.

Research has shown that individualizing information increases prosocial behavior toward dehumanized out-group members, but its effects on in-group members are poorly understood. Using methods from social psychology and behavioral economics, four experiments have shown that individualizing information reduces prosocial behavior toward in-group members in a variety of situations (charitable giving, beneficiary punishment, trust games).

This effect can be attributed to reduced reliance on group membership labels, and not to other potential explanations such as induction of a new group ID.

Understanding this effect can shed light on the motivations behind intergroup conflict, which may not be due to differences in social perceptions. These results show that humanization brings hidden costs to in-group members by destroying their group identity, making them targets for altruistic behavior.