Lack Of Compassion Can Make People Feel Less Moral, Study Shows

When a stranger asks for money, people choose not to give for a variety of reasons, even if their hearts want to -- perhaps they're not sure what the money will be used for, or perhaps they'd rather give to an organization that helps people in need. Or maybe they just don't want to part with their cash.

But a new study in the journal Psychological Science suggests that there could be a hidden cost to not being compassionate -- it might make you feel a little less moral.

"Compassion is such a powerful emotion. It's been called a moral barometer," study researcher Daryl Cameron, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said in a statement.

The researchers had study participants look at 15 images of people, including victims of war, crying babies and homeless people. The study participants were split up into three groups: the first was told to try and suppress feelings of sympathy, the second was told to try and suppress feeling of distress, and the third was told to just feel whatever emotions came to them.

After the study participants looked at the slideshow of images, they were surveyed on whether they thought moral rules should always be observed, as well as the value they placed on being a moral person themselves.

The researchers found that the ideas about morality differed between the groups, depending on whether they were told to stifle their sympathetic feelings, or feelings of distress. They found that people who suppressed their compassion were more likely to say they were flexible or didn't care so much about being moral.

On the other hand, a study published last year in the Journal of Consumer Research showed that feelings of nostalgia are able to goad a person to feel more giving.

"Nostalgia increases empathy-based charitable intentions and behaviors," study researcher Dr. Tim Wildschut, a senior lecturer at the University of Southampton, said in a statement. "It is encouraging to learn that people can mine their nostalgic memories and derive from this a feeling of empathy for the suffering of others."

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Comments

[John D Rachel]

06:54 PM on 03/20/2012

Repression and suppression lead to regression and depression.

[John Shuck]

07:01 AM on 03/20/2012

How did the study quantify morality?

[John D Rachel]

06:56 PM on 03/20/2012

They analyzed the compassion derivatives market. Everything is a commodity and can be traded for profit. I have been short on compassion futures from the day Bush was elected President and have made a fortune!

[John Shuck]

07:50 AM on 03/21/2012

Dang! Wish I would've thought of that. I did OK in the nation-building credit default swap market.

[wakawaka09]

07:40 AM on 03/19/2012

My take is people who show a lack of compassion are
1. Those who consider themselves to be morally superior i.e. those from which they withold compassion simply aren't deserving in their opinions.
2. Are typically conservative.
3. Are often upper management types. To them people are simply objects to be used as they see fit.

[spitfiredd]

01:53 PM on 03/19/2012

You forgot cult leaders.

[wakawaka09]

08:36 PM on 03/19/2012

Cult leaders tend to be a combination of all three,i.e. self identified as morally superior conservatives who are upper management types.

[lizp33558]

05:10 AM on 03/20/2012

i have noticed that , but in others that dont fit that desciption too.

[get the abusers]

07:24 AM on 03/19/2012

This could save your life and a child

http://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/the-narcissistic-sociopath-a-type/

http://depressiond.org/sociopath-sociopathic-personality-disorder/#4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_rage_and_narcissistic_injury

http://www.melanietoniaevans.com/articles/narcissist-behaviours.htm

[Royce09]

07:20 AM on 03/19/2012

Seems like being compassionate would go hand and hand with being moral to me. I just hope tax dollars was not spent for studying the OBVIOUS.

[doctorw2]

06:08 AM on 03/19/2012

this study is off the mark, compassion has to do with empathy not morality which is a value system based on cultural dictates and standards. Morality can be shaped becuase it is a mental construct but compassion is an emotional based response that is subject to certain conditions and can not be shaped.

[Violeta]

02:05 AM on 03/19/2012

im not saying this effect isn't real but doesn't anybody else see the problem with this study?

"The researchers found that the ideas about morality differed between the groups, depending on whether they were told to stifle their sympathetic feelings, or feelings of distress. "

how do you know that participants were not demonstrating that they were doing what they were told by being less moral. most likely participants wanted to be "good" subjects and show they were doing what the researchers were asking, and this is one way to show it.

wouldn't a better study have asked individuals how much sympathy or distress they felt in response to pictures and then asked them to make moral judgments regarding various groups? i suspect you will find the same kind of pattern but to a much lesser degree. it would eliminate the effect of the desire to demonstrate that one is following instructions.

[agt4085]

12:14 AM on 03/19/2012

This has everything to do with class and environment. Some people will give thinking it lets them be less moral because they cared for someone today. Some peoria will give their last dollar and feel good about without having anything to do with morals. Some people give because they think god will bless them so you can throw the morality ball either way here. Some people never give and still think their the moralist of all. Because they don't want to contribute to the disintegration of society in their small minds. You find some who give with a word of help they feel more moral. To many give hoping it helps them in the after life. Not enough give because its kind and just plain right. But there's a lot who give then lie to their own souls as of why. Trying to fight the humility and humanity of such a simple act. Just do it and smile cause it makes you feel good. There's a huge difference between giving without seeing and giving to someone right in front of you. One makes your heart melt the other makes you synical.

[Mrs Robinsons]

09:13 PM on 03/18/2012

Trying to avoid sounding like the theme song from Archie Bunker here...
Nostalgia
can also
remind us
of the days
when rules were rules
and you were glad to help others
because they
themselves were
MAKING AN EFFORT.
When the base of the pyramid...
becomes the smallest point of the pyramid..
the point which is holding up the rest of the pyramid..
which gets wider and less succinct and compact
each year...
the world has achieved
the newest architechtural wonder...
the spin top.

[wakawaka09]

07:54 AM on 03/19/2012

Most people I know at "the bottom" are making one helluvan effort.

[Pami Toll]

06:57 PM on 03/18/2012

I think its important to reach out to other people , everyone goes thru hard times and is in need of not ONLY money, but support , interest, caring, sympathy.. especially if you are down and out.. Strangers can be so kind.. and not as judgmental as your own family may be. There is never enough place in the world to be kind to others. If you cant give money,, look people in the eye and ask them about themselves, make some suggestions maybe they didn't think of. VALIDATE them.. its just as important and you can do your part that way as well.

[lizp33558]

05:18 AM on 03/20/2012

wondwerful post

[gregory57]

03:46 PM on 03/18/2012

Morality isn't a feeling. It's a choice.

[cbrown4115]

07:30 PM on 03/18/2012

I thought about this one and decided that I disagree. I think that an amoral action possibly involves a conscious choice but I don't think that moral behavior does. A moral action is in alignment with that "small voice" (for lack of a better term) inside of us all, so no real choice takes place... It's only when you are thinking about acting outside of these gut feelings that an internal debate would be initiated resulting in a choice to go against the gut... Does this make sense to you? It did to me... cool that you liked micro, by the way. You must be a smart guy.

[gregory57]

08:57 PM on 03/18/2012

I dunno how smart I am, but I'm pretty sure that Morality isn't something you're born with, but something that is learned. It's the difference between right and wrong, which cannot be discerned by feeling, only by knowing.

[agt4085]

12:16 AM on 03/19/2012

Very well put. Fighting your conscience is a choice. Giving in is a gift.

[Unabashed Liberal]

03:18 PM on 03/18/2012

So, what the article seems to say is that Republicans are less moral than others since they seem to lack compassion for those not like them. Hmmmm.

[tomteboda]

06:29 PM on 03/18/2012

"Seem to" being operative. You're putting your biases on what compassion entails on others who come from a different viewpoint.

[beth24]

02:14 PM on 03/18/2012

right and what to do when an ex calls with a bipolar episode that was never treated and you want to help but they deny needing help and your heart just goes out to them but they refuse help and they keep tugging on you but refuse to go for help...we dont want to turn our back but they are really in trouble and we dont know what to do..what to do? Now we feel bad and dont know what to do

[atmosphere1823]

05:39 PM on 03/18/2012

That's just the thing.
Brother-in-law has had numerous handouts adding to $45,000 from my father-in-law. Loans. Never paid back a penny.

Now father-in-law is DONE with it. Brother-in-law in another scrape. Needs $1,200 for bankruptcy court case plus to sue his business co-partner for throwing him out of the business and locking the door.

Father-in-law won't lend the money, brother-in-law angry at the entire family for not lending him money, publicly maligns the entire family on his Facebook wall!

Family standing firm. Brother-in-law is in horrible, horrible position - but needs to hit bottom and learn the hard way. Has always made a mess of his life by lying, committing insurance fraud, losing temper and spouting off at boss, wife (who divorced him), etc.

Once as a teen, he threw kitchen knives at his mother in anger and put his fist through a glass window. But after all this, he still expects family to bail him out, saying, "I hope they can sleep at night knowing they have destroyed their son's life."

Brother-in-law may become homeless, as he threatens, but what to do?

[cbrown4115]

06:51 PM on 03/18/2012

There is compassion and then there is "idiot compassion." Idiot compassion could include enabling behaviors... It's all about intent and from what you described, I feel that you and your family are doing the right thing. He sounds as if he might have an undiagnosed personality disorder. Hang in there and don't feel like the Lone Ranger... many families go through similar ordeals with loved ones. Now would be a good time to practice some self compassion... :) Sounds like you have been through a lot.

[jycrtr]

08:35 PM on 03/18/2012

My in-laws are in the almost identical position that you describe, so please know that you are not alone. We will pray for your family, and please do the same for us. At some point in time a person has to take responsibility for his own actions. If $1,200 stands between success or having his empire fall like a house of cards, he did not have much anyway. The demands from the "money tree" never end. The mother-in-law has "helped" this child (now in his fifties) so much that she barely has enough money to pay her bills...

[lizp33558]

05:22 AM on 03/20/2012

thats a terrible problems,but sometimes it simply up to ex, you seem to have tried everything else,bipolar can be quite serious especially without treatment

[crlch]

01:52 PM on 03/18/2012

Compassion is a moral element in man. It is a form of empathy. Empathy is an identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives. To understand another's needs you must first be able to look past yourself and imagine how the other person must be feeling and have the moral conviction to want to help. Compassion comes automatically from the heart and cannot be taught. That is one of the traits God put within us when He created us in His image. It is a trait of moral choice.
Secondly, don't believe for one second that "compassionate conservative" means anything. It's just a way for the third party Conservatives to trick Republicans into voting for them. Yes, I suppose there probably are compassionate Conservatives - although I can’t think of any off the top of my head - and yes, there are definitely compassionate Republicans, compassionate Democrats, liberals and atheists! Anyone can be compassionate, it is a moral choice.
Thirdly, if God doesn’t exist in your world – it’s because He’s been intentionally taken out.

[munky5oh]

02:27 PM on 03/18/2012

Wisdom... excellent! F an F for you! God bless you always!

[collectsrocks]

11:50 AM on 03/18/2012

In the past, prior to our new manager, where I live I've seen so many children without compassion. They've laughed and ridiculed their peers when they've fallen down and become injured. They've also been involved with physically injuring the elderly by hurling rocks, ect at them simply for fun or attempting to run them over intentionally with their bikes while riding on the sidewalks. Also several teen girls even threatened adults with knives stating they were going to kill them because they were told to go away when gathering outside an elderly person's apartment. I was one of them, but fortunately my neighbor heard the teen and stopped her as she was sneeking up behind me with a switch blade. My telling the girl to go away is not a viable reason for a teen to want to kill me. I fear this next generation is compassionless. Just look at the bullying situations we see and hear about daily.

[donnamae1956]

04:09 AM on 03/19/2012

Yea, its a bad situation to be in when you are not allowed the respect to have some piece and quiet. Just this past day, I see kids destroying apartment properties, some of these were teens and preteens. I have had my garden trashed a fwe times just out of pure malice. What the heck is that? I have decided past week that I was going to start some seeds and give them out to kids so they have something contstructive to do and share the proceeds from their hard labor to appreciate growing good wholesome foods. I have enough compassion to do some good for the kids. There is a playground a block away where these boys can't play basketball. It would be great to have the kids to have a good outlet to get into whether they be sports, swimming pool parties, soccer fields and more. It would keep them out of trouble. I just pray that the payback will all be positive in that direction. Its sad that teh parents are not there to supervisee them at a young age to respect others and their property. I see kids as young as 7 yo trying to break into laundry mat and they have to keep it locked up after 5PM which does not allow families todo laundry on premises in the evening when they get home from work. Its all so stupid and I can end this all by being proactive about these issues byaddressing to managment.