Nobody likes a do-gooder: Study confirms selfless behaviour is 'alienating'

[David McDivitt]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1305716/Nobody-likes-gooder-Study-confirms-selfless-behaviour-alienating.html#ixzz0xbmhK0QL

Nobody likes a do-gooder: Study confirms selfless behaviour is 'alienating' 
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:31 AM on 25th August 2010


They probably think their selfless behaviour makes them popular but the
truth about 'do-gooders' is nobody really likes them, according to new
research.

A series of studies found that those who volunteer to take on unwanted tasks
or who hand out gifts without being prompted, quickly alienate themselves.

Psychologists believe this is because it makes the rest of us feel guilty
and puts pressure on us to behave in an equally selfless fashion.

Researchers say do-gooders come to be resented because they 'raise the bar'
for what is expected of everyone.

It suggests that people might want to think twice before waxing lyrical
about their charity work or volunteering to put in extra hours at the
office.

Social psychologist Professor Craig Parks said: 'The fear is that this new
standard will make everyone else look bad.

'It doesn't matter that the overall welfare of the group is better served by
someone's unselfish behaviour.

'What is objectively good, we see as subjectively bad.

'The do-gooders are also seen as deviant rule breakers. It's as if they're
giving away Monopoly money so someone can stay in the game, irking other
players no end.'  

Professor Parks, of Washington State University, carried out a series of
four tests with groups of people which showed that do-gooders got people's
backs up.

In each case others reacted by wanting them thrown out of the group.

Prof Parks added: 'It's perhaps not hard to think of examples of this but we
were the first to show this happens and have explanations for why.'  

Parks led the research entitled 'The Desire to Expel Unselfish Members from
the Group.'  

During the research, participants were handed an allocation of points they
could keep or give up for an immediate reward of meal service vouchers.

They were also told that giving up points would improve the group's chance
of receiving a monetary reward to be shared between them.

Generally those within the group would make seemingly fair swaps of one
point for each voucher.

However, in each group one was briefed to make lopsided exchanges - greedily
giving up no points and taking a lot of vouchers or unselfishly giving up a
lot of points and taking few vouchers.

As expected, most participants later said they would not want to work with
the greedy colleague again.

But a majority of participants also said they would not want to work with
the unselfish colleague again.

Prof Parks added: 'They frequently said 'the person is making me look bad'
or is breaking the rules.

'Occasionally, they would suspect the person had ulterior motives.'  Further
research is planned to look at how do-gooders themselves react to being
rejected.

While some may indeed have ulterior motives, Prof Parks said it's more
likely they actually are working for the good of the wider group.

He speculated that, once excluded from the group, they may simply give up.

'But it's also possible,' he added, 'that they may actually try even
harder.'  

The research is published in the current Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology.

--
dgm