The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Standard

The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. / Pfattheicher, Stefan; Nockur, Laila; Böhm, Robert; Sassenrath, Claudia; Petersen, Michael Bang.

In: Psychological Science, Vol. 31, No. 11, 2020, p. 1363–1373.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Pfattheicher, S, Nockur, L, Böhm, R, Sassenrath, C & Petersen, MB 2020, 'The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic', Psychological Science, vol. 31, no. 11, pp. 1363–1373. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620964422

APA

Pfattheicher, S., Nockur, L., Böhm, R., Sassenrath, C., & Petersen, M. B. (2020). The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Science, 31(11), 1363–1373. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620964422

Vancouver

Pfattheicher S, Nockur L, Böhm R, Sassenrath C, Petersen MB. The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Science. 2020;31(11):1363–1373. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620964422

Author

Pfattheicher, Stefan ; Nockur, Laila ; Böhm, Robert ; Sassenrath, Claudia ; Petersen, Michael Bang. / The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In: Psychological Science. 2020 ; Vol. 31, No. 11. pp. 1363–1373.

Bibtex

@article{c566f18ddac5448494ef8ff749042120,
title = "The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic",
abstract = "The COVID-19 pandemic presents a major challenge to societies all over the globe. Two measures implemented in many countries to curb the spread of the disease are (a) minimizing close contact between people (“physical distancing”) and (b) wearing of face masks. In the present research, we tested the idea that physical distancing and wearing of face masks can be the result of a prosocial emotional process—empathy for people most vulnerable to the virus. In four preregistered studies (N = 3,718, Western population), we found that (a) empathy indeed relates to the motivation to adhere to physical distancing and to wearing face masks and (b) inducing empathy for people most vulnerable to the virus promotes the motivation to adhere to these measures (whereas merely providing information about the importance of the measures does not). In sum, the present research provides a better understanding of the factors underlying the willingness to follow two important measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.",
keywords = "Faculty of Social Sciences, COVID-19, empathy, face masks, physical distancing, prosociality, open data, open materials, preregistered",
author = "Stefan Pfattheicher and Laila Nockur and Robert B{\"o}hm and Claudia Sassenrath and Petersen, {Michael Bang}",
year = "2020",
doi = "10.1177/0956797620964422",
language = "English",
volume = "31",
pages = "1363–1373",
journal = "Psychological Science",
issn = "0956-7976",
publisher = "SAGE Publications",
number = "11",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - The emotional path to action: Empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

AU - Pfattheicher, Stefan

AU - Nockur, Laila

AU - Böhm, Robert

AU - Sassenrath, Claudia

AU - Petersen, Michael Bang

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic presents a major challenge to societies all over the globe. Two measures implemented in many countries to curb the spread of the disease are (a) minimizing close contact between people (“physical distancing”) and (b) wearing of face masks. In the present research, we tested the idea that physical distancing and wearing of face masks can be the result of a prosocial emotional process—empathy for people most vulnerable to the virus. In four preregistered studies (N = 3,718, Western population), we found that (a) empathy indeed relates to the motivation to adhere to physical distancing and to wearing face masks and (b) inducing empathy for people most vulnerable to the virus promotes the motivation to adhere to these measures (whereas merely providing information about the importance of the measures does not). In sum, the present research provides a better understanding of the factors underlying the willingness to follow two important measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AB - The COVID-19 pandemic presents a major challenge to societies all over the globe. Two measures implemented in many countries to curb the spread of the disease are (a) minimizing close contact between people (“physical distancing”) and (b) wearing of face masks. In the present research, we tested the idea that physical distancing and wearing of face masks can be the result of a prosocial emotional process—empathy for people most vulnerable to the virus. In four preregistered studies (N = 3,718, Western population), we found that (a) empathy indeed relates to the motivation to adhere to physical distancing and to wearing face masks and (b) inducing empathy for people most vulnerable to the virus promotes the motivation to adhere to these measures (whereas merely providing information about the importance of the measures does not). In sum, the present research provides a better understanding of the factors underlying the willingness to follow two important measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - COVID-19

KW - empathy

KW - face masks

KW - physical distancing

KW - prosociality

KW - open data

KW - open materials

KW - preregistered

U2 - 10.1177/0956797620964422

DO - 10.1177/0956797620964422

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32993455

VL - 31

SP - 1363

EP - 1373

JO - Psychological Science

JF - Psychological Science

SN - 0956-7976

IS - 11

ER -

ID: 249906008