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Measuring the distribution of spitefulness

Author

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  • Kimbrough, E.O.

    (Microeconomics & Public Economics)

  • Reiss, J.P.

    (Microeconomics & Public Economics)

Abstract

Spiteful, antisocial behavior may undermine the moral and institutional fabric of society, producing disorder, fear, and mistrust. Previous research demonstrates the willingness of individuals to harm others, but little is understood about how far people are willing to go in being spiteful (relative to how far they could have gone) or their consistency in spitefulness across repeated trials. Our experiment is the first to provide individuals with repeated opportunities to spitefully harm anonymous others when the decision entails zero cost to the spiter and cannot be observed as such by the object of spite. This method reveals that the majority of individuals exhibit consistent (non-)spitefulness over time and that the distribution of spitefulness is bipolar: when choosing whether to be spiteful, most individuals either avoid spite altogether or impose the maximum possible harm on their unwitting victims.
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Suggested Citation

  • Kimbrough, E.O. & Reiss, J.P., 2012. "Measuring the distribution of spitefulness," Research Memorandum 039, Maastricht University, Maastricht Research School of Economics of Technology and Organization (METEOR).
    • Handle: RePEc:unm:umamet:2012039
    DOI: 10.26481/umamet.2012039
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