- Psychology & the public - What we do - Member networks -
Careers, education & training We care about the well-being of
strangers People often behave as though they are interested in
the wellbeing of the strangers they meet. This is the finding of
new research published in the journal PLoS ONE, which looked at
the readiness individuals show for cooperating with individuals,
their interest in tracking the reputation of others and the ways
in which they treat other people. Max Krasnow, a Postdoctoral
Researcher in Psychology at the University of California Santa
Barbara's Center for Evolutionary Psychology, noted people often
appear to have an interest in the behaviour of individuals they
come across, despite the fact they are unlikely to ever see them
again. Mr Krasnow gave the example of a person helping somebody
in a wheelchair with their shopping, observing witnessing such
an action will elicit feelings of kindness to the helper.
"Equally, if people see someone driven off the road by a
reckless driver, the