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Impure motivations in social preferences: Experimental evidence from menu choices

Author

Listed:
  • Yosuke Hashidate

    (Sophia University)

  • Tetsuya Kawamura

    (Tezukayama University)

  • Fabrice Le Lec

    (Univ. Lille, CNRS, IESEG School of Management, UMR 9221 – LEM – Lille Economie Management, F-59000 Lille, France)

  • Yusuke Osaki

    (Waseda University)

  • Benoît Tarroux

    (Université Lumière Lyon 2, CNRS, Université Jean-Monnet Saint-Etienne, emlyon business school, GATE, 69007, Lyon, France)

Abstract

This article investigates impure motivations in social preferences through an experiment in which participants choose menus of social allocations (i.e. allocations of gains between themselves and another participant). Menu choices reveal the presence of impure motivations: according to a parsimonious theoretical model, negative motivations (e.g. guilt) will imply a preference for smaller menus, whereas positive ones (e.g. pride) a preference for larger sets. By varying the level of publicity of within-menu choice, we can also observe the importance of self- and social image. Data from France and Japan show unambiguously an important impact of impure motivations on preferences on menus, with the suggestion that negative ones exceed positive ones.

Suggested Citation

  • Yosuke Hashidate & Tetsuya Kawamura & Fabrice Le Lec & Yusuke Osaki & Benoît Tarroux, 2024. "Impure motivations in social preferences: Experimental evidence from menu choices," Working Papers 2406, Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Étienne (GATE Lyon St-Étienne), Université de Lyon.
    • Handle: RePEc:gat:wpaper:2406
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social preference; menu preference; impure motivation; warm glow; guilt; shame; pride; self-esteem;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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