If you've ever muttered, "what goes around comes around," or made a deal with God to get you out of a jam or to curry some personal good fortune, the latest research into "investing in karma" published in the new issue of Psychological Science is for you.
In a series of experiments, the researchers led by University of Virginia psychologist Benjamin Converse, found that people are more likely to volunteer or donate to charity when prompted to think about something they really, really want that they also perceive to be largely out of their personal control (e.g. high school seniors awaiting the decision letters of their first-choice colleges).
What's more, subjects entered into a lottery for $100 were much more optimistic about their chances when they took the opportunity to complete a short survey that would add $50 to their prize to be donated to the charity of their choice. They'd made a karmic deposit and, if only implicitly, expected some dividends.
"We find that, rather than increasing selfishness, wanting can increase helping," the researchers conclude. "These karmic-investment behaviors suggest that people may not only pursue reciprocal exchanges interpersonally, but may also attempt to bargain with the universe."
In a series of experiments, the researchers led by University of Virginia psychologist Benjamin Converse, found that people are more likely to volunteer or donate to charity when prompted to think about something they really, really want that they also perceive to be largely out of their personal control (e.g. high school seniors awaiting the decision letters of their first-choice colleges).
What's more, subjects entered into a lottery for $100 were much more optimistic about their chances when they took the opportunity to complete a short survey that would add $50 to their prize to be donated to the charity of their choice. They'd made a karmic deposit and, if only implicitly, expected some dividends.
"We find that, rather than increasing selfishness, wanting can increase helping," the researchers conclude. "These karmic-investment behaviors suggest that people may not only pursue reciprocal exchanges interpersonally, but may also attempt to bargain with the universe."
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