According to one experiment conducted by Isen and Levin, experimenters looked for helping behavior in unaware subjects after they left a public phone-booth. Whether or not the individuals helped a person in need was found significantly influenced by whether or not one had just found a dime in the phone-booth. In the initial experiment, the results for the 41 subjects are as follows (Doris 2002, 30):
Found Dime: (14 exhibited helping behavior, 2 did not exhibit helping behavior)
Didn’t Find Dime: (1 exhibited helping behavior, 24 did not exhibit helping behavior)
These results suggest that morally significant behavior such as helping another in need depends largely on minute factors of the situation that are not in the control of the agent.
It doesn't take much to bring out the best in people. Gives me so many ideas about spreading kindness!
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On the family front, everyone got sleep last night! I got ten hours! Stockpiling that stuff up for the lean times...
Yesterday (or the day before, can't remember) I told you about Amanda, the daytime caregiver who is Native. Well, the nighttime woman is also Native. Only she hasn't told me that: I just know. She is young. And get this: She works twelve hour shifts - from 7 pm. until 7 am, THEN she goes to college! Holy jamoley. I have to think of her any time I don't believe I can do something. She is studying to be a Physician's Assistant! We are so lucky to have her, and the world is lucky to have this wonderful woman in the area of healthcare.
Maybe my dad is just doing this sick thing so that I can meet all of these angels...
:-)
My initial plan was to start depositing my spare change in phone booths- then I realized that I haven't seen a pay phone in years.
ReplyDeleteYeah, maybe current times call for a quarter in a Coke machine (even though a quarter is only a fraction of the cost) or a dollar on a park bench...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you all are getting sleep! It's most important for life.
ReplyDeleteToo bad almost all of the pay phones have been removed from our communities since the advent of the cell phone.
I just found this entry on Google.
ReplyDeleteI study psychology and I'm starting a blog about helping others, so I found that study you referenced very interesting!
I'm always looking for ways to help people do more for each other. I know there is a link between happiness/receiving help and giving help, but I didn't know that dimes had so much effect. I wonder what else does too...
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! For some reason, I wasn't notified of your comment and I only now found it now. My apologies for not acknowledging it sooner.
Some time after I wrote this post, I was on a hike and I found a nickel. It was so much fun to find it that I added some quarters to it and left it all for someone else to find.
I guess even a nickel can make one's day sometimes! ;-)