Prosocial behavior is voluntary effort or giving charity to help others.

What best fosters prosocial behavior? Psychologists assert that what motivates people can be one of three basic needs: feeling related to others, being self-competent, or being responsible for one’s own actions. To study which best fosters prosocial behavior, researchers studied university students in three experiments, each isolating these needs. 

On different tasks, researchers measured how much the participants felt connected to or had empathic concern for others; sensed their own competency; and felt responsible for their own actions.  In one realistic setting, researchers measured participants’ actual donations from money earned by participating in the study.

Results? Feelings of relatedness or connectedness to others increased prosocial motivation the most in all situations. In a real-life situation, when participants felt appreciated and related to the recipient, they donated significantly more money to a charity. 

Reach out to others and express appreciation for their efforts. This encourages feelings of relatedness and sharing in community efforts and, thus, enhances giving. You benefit both your and their social relationships and society!

Reference: Pavey, L., Greitemeyer, T., & Sparks, P. (2011). Highlighting relatedness promotes prosocial motives and behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin