Behavior|Batman in the subway car made the passengers behave more selflessly. A psychological experiment conducted in Milan shows how an unexpected phenomenon can awaken people’s desire to help.
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A superhero or other surprising phenomenon in everyday life can change the behavior of people in a large group. For example, they can become more selfless.
Psychologists from the University of Milan conducted an experiment in subway cars. A figure dressed as Batman appeared on a subway car near a woman who appeared to be pregnant.
When Batman was present, about 67 percent of passengers offered their seats to a woman. Without Batman, only about 38 percent offered their place.
Researchers say that the unexpected phenomenon can promote positive social behavior, even if it is not always aware of it.
A superhero the sudden emergence disrupts a person’s normal everyday life in a positive way.
In the experiment, the presence of the superhero made people change their ways. They were ready to behave more selflessly than usual.
Psychologists from the Catholic University of Sacro Cuore in Milan tried to find out with an experiment how an unexpected phenomenon would affect people’s desire to behave selflessly in public.
Professor and psychologist Francesco Pagnini researched helping and selflessness in Milan’s metro network’s rush-hour carriages.
In the first part of the experiment, a woman who appeared to be expecting a child boarded a subway car filled with many people.
A researcher also entered the wagon. With the help of a form survey, he evaluates afterwards how sensitively the passenger would have wanted to give up his seat to a woman.
Almost 38 percent of the passengers in the carriage, of which there were 70 in the survey, wanted to offer their seat to a woman, says website Phys.org.
In another in the wagon at the same time, the phenomenon was tried with the help of Batman.
A person dressed as Batman entered the same carriage with a waiting woman. She came in through another door and there was no interaction between Batman and the woman.
When Batman was present, more than 67 percent of the respondents would have offered the woman their seat. There were 68 respondents.
Oddly enough, however, just under 44 percent of those who offered their seats said they hadn’t even seen Batman.
In the tests, all seat packages in the carriage were occupied. There were no more than five people standing in the corridor.
Score suggest, according to the researchers, that the unexpected may promote helping and altruistic behavior. Accidents are still not always well known.
The strangeness and unpredictability of the phenomenon can promote positive social behavior, Pagnini and his team estimate.
The character of Batman perhaps created an atmosphere in the subway car where passengers sensed social cues better than usual, says the website Phys.org.
Researchers say that just surprising interruptions in everyday life could produce the same effect. The study was published by scientific journal npj Mental Health Research.