Generous people who give money to charity will reap future rewards, according to new research
BY REMMA KAUR | APR 21, 2010
Giving to charity may not be simply altruistic, it can also enhance your reputation and reap rewards in the future, a study claimed.
Scientists have discovered that those who donate, and are more generous, get benefits in the future as their reputation is enhanced and others are more likely to want to work with them or to help them.
The research, published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, involved 40 strangers playing an economic game, with the aim of finishing with the most amount of cash, which they could then keep.
They were given a set amount of money and split into groups of four. In the first four rounds the members of each group could put any amount of money into a central pot. This was then doubled, and split between each player.
In the second half of the game every player would then find out what all the other players had donated to the central pot and they then choose who to partner with for the second phase, where they would play the same game in groups of just two.
The researchers found players who gave away the most money in the early rounds actually finished with more money at the end, as they found the best partners thanks to their earlier generosity.
Author Karolina Sylwester, a PhD student at the Centre for Behaviour and Evolution at Newcastle University's Institute of Neuroscience, said: "From a self-interested perspective, helping others is puzzling.
"However, if people have a preference for co-operative social partners, being seen to be generous could be an advantage.
"This research shows that investing in a good reputation pays off through access to co-operative social partners and the profits which come from mutual co-operation.
"Investing in a good reputation appears to be a strategic decision which can mean that helping others is self-interested in the longer term."
