A fascinating new study has shown that people become more helpful and prosocial when a person dressed as Batman is in public. The study indicates that unusual or attention-grabbing moments can snap people out of the mental autopilot that many remain in. This can promote prosocial behaviors that are otherwise less common.
Study suggests people tend to behave better in Batman’s presence
Francesco Pagnini, a clinical psychology professor at Università Cattolica in Milan, ran multiple experiments inside a busy subway car. The results were published in npj Mental Health Research. The study indicates that a shocking or attention-grabbing moment can break people out of their existing autopilot mode and prompt them to be more social.
In the experiment led by Francesco Pagnini, a visibly pregnant woman entered the train. Researchers observed how frequently passengers offered their seats to her. They repeated the scenario with one key change. A man dressed as Batman was also on the train.
Across 138 passengers, around 37 percent of riders offered their seats without Batman present. When the man dressed as Batman entered from another door as the woman entered, the number rose to more than 67 percent. Most who offered their seats were women.
The study suggested that 44 percent of people who gave up their seats did not consciously notice Batman but saw the situation as an offbeat event.
Pagnini suggested that the findings were in line with previous work that connected present-moment awareness with prosocial behavior. He also suggested that this could help establish a way to prompt more small acts of kindness. This could also offer insight into how the human mind functions, especially with concerns surrounding the gradual decline of attention from excessive social media usage.
