Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBenefitsTypesWhy We Help OthersBystander EffectOther InfluencesHow to Take Action

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Benefits

Types

Why We Help Others

Bystander Effect

Other Influences

How to Take Action

Close

Benefits of Prosocial Behavior

In addition to the obvious good that prosocial actions do for their recipients, these behaviors can have a range of beneficial effects for the “helper”:

While prosocial behavior is often presented as a single, uniform dimension, some research suggests that there are different types. These types are distinguished based on why they are produced and include:

Other researchers have proposed that prosocial behaviors can be divided into helping, sharing, or comforting subtypes.

Prosocial Behavior vs. Altruism

Altruismis often seen as a form of prosocial behavior, but some experts suggest that they represent different concepts. While prosocial behavior is seen as a type of helping behavior that ultimately confers some benefits to the self, altruism is viewed as a form of helping motivated purely out of concern for the individual in need.

Others argue, however, that reciprocity actually does underlie many examples of altruism or that people engage in such seemingly selfless behaviors for selfish reasons. For example, a person might engage in altruism to gain the acclaim of others or to feel good about themselves.

Prosocial behavior has long posed a challenge to social scientists. Researchers seek to understand why people engage in helping behaviors that are beneficial to others, but costly to the individual performing the action.

In some cases, including acts ofheroism, people will even put their own lives at risk in order to help other people, even those who are complete strangers. Why would people do something that benefits someone else but offers no immediate benefit to the doer?

Psychologists suggest that there are a number of reasons why people engage in prosocial behavior.

People Are Cooperating More Than They Have in Decades

The Bystander Effect

For example, if you drop your purse and several items fall out on the ground, the likelihood that someone will stop and help you decreases if there are many other people present. This same sort of thing can happen in cases where someone is in serious danger, such as a car accident. Witnesses might assume that since there are so many other people present, someone else will have already called for help.

Other Influences on Prosocial Behavior

Researchers have also have suggested that five key things must happen in order for a person to take action. An individual must:

Prosocial behavior can be a beneficial force for individuals, communities, and societies. While there are many factors that contribute to helping actions, there are things that you can do to improve prosocial actions in yourself and in others:

A Word From Verywell

Prosocial behavior can have a number of benefits. It ensures that people who need help get the assistance they need, but it can also help those performing prosocial actions feel better about themselves. While there are obstacles that sometimes prevent such actions, research suggests that acts of kindness and other prosocial behaviors are contagious.

Seeing other people do good things encourages and inspires others to take action to help others.

How to Be a Better Person

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Raposa EB, Laws HB, Ansell EB.Prosocial behavior mitigates the negative effects of stress in everyday life.Clin Psychol Sci. 2016;4(4):691-698. doi:10.1177/2167702615611073American Psychological Association.Manage stress: Strengthen your support network.Dunfield KA.A construct divided: Prosocial behavior as helping, sharing, and comforting subtypes.Front Psychol. 2014;5:958. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00958Silk JB, House BR.The evolution of altruistic social preferences in human groups.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2016;371(1687):20150097. doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0097Waugh W, Brownell C, Pollock B.Early socialization of prosocial behavior: Patterns in parents' encouragement of toddlers' helping in an everyday household task.Infant Behav Dev. 2015;39:1-10. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.12.010Tsvetkova M, Macy MW.The social contagion of generosity.PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e87275. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087275

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Raposa EB, Laws HB, Ansell EB.Prosocial behavior mitigates the negative effects of stress in everyday life.Clin Psychol Sci. 2016;4(4):691-698. doi:10.1177/2167702615611073American Psychological Association.Manage stress: Strengthen your support network.Dunfield KA.A construct divided: Prosocial behavior as helping, sharing, and comforting subtypes.Front Psychol. 2014;5:958. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00958Silk JB, House BR.The evolution of altruistic social preferences in human groups.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2016;371(1687):20150097. doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0097Waugh W, Brownell C, Pollock B.Early socialization of prosocial behavior: Patterns in parents' encouragement of toddlers' helping in an everyday household task.Infant Behav Dev. 2015;39:1-10. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.12.010Tsvetkova M, Macy MW.The social contagion of generosity.PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e87275. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087275

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Raposa EB, Laws HB, Ansell EB.Prosocial behavior mitigates the negative effects of stress in everyday life.Clin Psychol Sci. 2016;4(4):691-698. doi:10.1177/2167702615611073American Psychological Association.Manage stress: Strengthen your support network.Dunfield KA.A construct divided: Prosocial behavior as helping, sharing, and comforting subtypes.Front Psychol. 2014;5:958. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00958Silk JB, House BR.The evolution of altruistic social preferences in human groups.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2016;371(1687):20150097. doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0097Waugh W, Brownell C, Pollock B.Early socialization of prosocial behavior: Patterns in parents' encouragement of toddlers' helping in an everyday household task.Infant Behav Dev. 2015;39:1-10. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.12.010Tsvetkova M, Macy MW.The social contagion of generosity.PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e87275. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087275

Raposa EB, Laws HB, Ansell EB.Prosocial behavior mitigates the negative effects of stress in everyday life.Clin Psychol Sci. 2016;4(4):691-698. doi:10.1177/2167702615611073

American Psychological Association.Manage stress: Strengthen your support network.

Dunfield KA.A construct divided: Prosocial behavior as helping, sharing, and comforting subtypes.Front Psychol. 2014;5:958. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00958

Silk JB, House BR.The evolution of altruistic social preferences in human groups.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2016;371(1687):20150097. doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0097

Waugh W, Brownell C, Pollock B.Early socialization of prosocial behavior: Patterns in parents' encouragement of toddlers' helping in an everyday household task.Infant Behav Dev. 2015;39:1-10. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.12.010

Tsvetkova M, Macy MW.The social contagion of generosity.PLoS One. 2014;9(2):e87275. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087275

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?