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Why do people engage with the suffering of strangers? Exploring epistemic, eudaimonic, social, and affective motives

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dc.contributor.authorVivanco Carlevari, Anastassia
dc.contributor.authorOosterwijk, Suzanne
dc.contributor.authorKleef, Gerben A. van
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-20T14:41:29Z
dc.date.available2025-02-20T14:41:29Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractReading violent stories or watching a war documentary are examples in which people voluntarily engage with the suffering of others whom they do not know. Using a mixed-methods approach, we investigated why people make these decisions, while also mapping the characteristics of strangers’ suffering to gain a rich understanding. In Study 1 (N = 247), participants described situations of suffering and their reasons to engage with it. Using qualitative thematic analysis, we developed a typology of the stranger (who), the situation (what), the source (how), and the reason(s) for engaging with the situation (why). We categorised the motives into four overarching themes – epistemic, eudaimonic, social, and affective – reflecting diversity in the perceived functionality of engaging with a stranger’s suffering. Next, we tested the robustness of the identified motives in a quantitative study. In Study 2, participants (N = 250) recalled a situation in which they engaged with the suffering of a stranger and indicated their endorsement with a variety of possible motives. Largely mirroring Study 1, Study 2 participants engaged to acquire knowledge, for personal and social utility, and to feel positive and negative emotions. We discuss implications for understanding the exploration of human suffering as a motivated phenomenon.
dc.description.versionVersión publicada
dc.format.extent21 p.
dc.identifier.citationVivanco Carlevari, A., Oosterwijk, S., & Van Kleef, G. A. (2024). Why do people engage with the suffering of strangers? Exploring epistemic, eudaimonic, social, and affective motives. Cognition and Emotion, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2024.2385691
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2024.2385691
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11447/9806
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectSuffering
dc.subjectCuriosity
dc.subjectEmpathy
dc.subjectMotivation
dc.subjectSocial information seeking
dc.titleWhy do people engage with the suffering of strangers? Exploring epistemic, eudaimonic, social, and affective motives
dc.typeArticle
dcterms.accessRightsAcceso abierto
dcterms.sourceCognition and Emotion
dspace.entity.typePublication

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