Feb 13, 2020
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/N7DsCNmHUro
By definition, a good Samaritan helps anyone in distress. A new study from psychologists at Boston College and Harvard concludes we bestow more glory on those who help strangers than on those helping family members with one notable exception.
The researchers surveyed 1300 subjects and asked them to make make value judgments about the goodness of helpers in various scenarios. The one situation where helping family scores higher than helping strangers is the case when you can only help one individual. Then, blood is thicker than water.
Many studies prove that paying it forward help you as much as those you assist. Doing good works reduces stress, diminishes anxiety, and lowers blood pressure.
Ryan M. McManus, Max Kleiman-Weiner, Liane Young. What We Owe to Family: The Impact of Special Obligations on Moral Judgment. Psychological Science, 2020; 095679761990032 DOI: 10.1177/0956797619900321
#samaritan #stranger #family #payitforward