Psychologists from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Milan, Italy) conducted an unusual experiment: they put a person in a Batman costume in a subway car and observed the passengers. This was reported by Science Alert, informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that the result turned out to be truly "superheroic": with the appearance of the "Dark Knight", people began to actively help each other, give up seats and show attention to others.
This may sound like a full-fledged attempt to win the Ig Nobel Prize, but in reality, this study is interesting from the point of view of what exactly inspires people to prosocial behavior.
Thus, in the experiment, passengers had to give up their seats to a pregnant woman. Without Batman, about 37% of people did this, and when the superhero appeared in the car, more than 67% did. At the same time, almost half of those who gave up their seats did not even notice Batman himself - the effect manifested itself at a subconscious level.
Interestingly, among those who gave up their seat, no one directly linked their gesture to Batman's presence, and 43.75 percent reported not seeing Batman at all.
They note that such a "Batman effect" can become a tool for stimulating altruism in everyday life - from urban art objects to social campaigns.
Recall
British research found a link between prosocial behavior in children and healthy eating in adolescence.