Scientific Article for Students

Abstract

Have you ever helped a friend find a lost item? Or donated old clothes or toys to a charity? When you help someone, you are taking part in prosocial behaviors. In our study, we analyzed data to determine which factors relate to prosocial behavior. We explored life satisfaction, positive emotions, and negative emotions. We found that people who are more satisfied with their life take part in more prosocial behaviors. We also found a relationship between positive emotions and prosocial behaviors. We learned that negative emotions are more difficult to use as a predictor for prosocial behaviors. Negative emotions often relate to less prosocial behaviors. But the relationship between negative emotions and prosocial behavior was less consistent.

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About this Article

Reading Level
Scientific Topic
Key Words
NGSS Standards
AP Environmental Science Topics
IB Biology Topics
Scientific Methods
Type of Figure
Location of Research
Scientist Affiliation
Included Resources
+ Lesson idea video on how to find volunteer opportunities + Audio version of article + Links to national volunteering databases
Publication Date
April 2023
Researchers investigated factors that contribute to a person’s willingness to take part in prosocial behaviors.
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