Aging, Empathy, and Prosocial Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author:

Cho Isu1ORCID,Daley Ryan T2ORCID,Cunningham Tony J23,Kensinger Elizabeth A2,Gutchess Angela1

Affiliation:

1. Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA

2. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA

3. Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Previous literature suggests age-related increases in prosociality. Does such an age–prosociality relationship occur during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, or might the pandemic—as a stressor that may differently influence young and older adults—create a boundary condition on the relationship? If so, can empathy, a well-known prosocial disposition, explain the age–prosociality relationship? This study investigated these questions and whether the target (distant others compared to close others) of prosocial behaviors differs by age. Methods Participants completed a series of surveys on dispositional empathy and prosocial behaviors for a study assessing their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 330 participants (aged 18–89) from the United States who completed all of the surveys included in the present analyses. Results Age was positively related to greater prosociality during the pandemic. Although empathy was positively associated with individuals’ prosociality, it did not account for the age–prosociality association. Interestingly, increasing age was associated with greater prosocial behaviors toward close others (i.e., family, friends). Discussion Results are discussed in the context of socioemotional goals and substantiate that findings of age differences in prosocial behaviors occur during the period of limited resources and threat associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funder

National Institutes of Health

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Subject

Geriatrics and Gerontology,Gerontology,Clinical Psychology,Social Psychology

Reference27 articles.

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