The eyes are the window to the soul — and they could also open the door to more charitable behavior.
People are more likely to open their wallets to charity when there’s a picture of human eyes nearby, a study published this week in the journal “Human Nature” found.
“The presence of eyes enhances people’s reputational concern and motivates them to engage in self-presentational behaviors,” said lead author Caroline Kelsey of the University of Virginia.
In other words, humans tend to act more generous when they feel like they’re being watched.
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Researchers conducted the experiment over 28 weeks in a children’s museum and watched more than 34,100 adults and children as they passed the museum’s donation box. A picture on the box switched from being a pair of human eyes, to a chair, to a nose and a mouth. The words on the sign remained the same: “Donations would be appreciated.”
When the eyes picture was on the box, people dropped more money into it. The average increase was just one cent per museum visitor, but that added up to an increase of $12 per week — a significant gain, given that the average weekly donation was $15 during the study period, the researchers said.
People have many motivations when they make charitable donations, and it’s not always about helping other people. Sometimes people give for selfish reasons, or because they’re galvanized by political events.
But income is a factor, of course. Americans gave a record amount of money to charity last year, but not necessarily because the improving economy is improving everyone’s financial well-being. Many of those donations came from super-wealthy mega-donors, and there’s growing concern that the super-rich wield too much influence in the world of philanthropy.
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