The effects of music on helping behavior: A field study

Several studies indicate that mood can influence the likelihood of an individual demonstrating instances of helping behavior, and one previous laboratory study has indicated that music can be used to bring about manipulations of mood to such an end. To investigate this in a naturalistic setting, 646...

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Main Authors: North, Adrian, Tarrant, M., Hargreaves, David
Format: Journal Article
Published: Sage Publications, Inc. 2010
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45852
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author North, Adrian
Tarrant, M.
Hargreaves, David
author_facet North, Adrian
Tarrant, M.
Hargreaves, David
author_sort North, Adrian
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Several studies indicate that mood can influence the likelihood of an individual demonstrating instances of helping behavior, and one previous laboratory study has indicated that music can be used to bring about manipulations of mood to such an end. To investigate this in a naturalistic setting, 646 users of a university gym were played either uplifting or annoying music while theyworked out. Upon completionof theirworkout, they were asked to either sign a petition in support of a fictitious sporting charity (i.e., a low-cost task) or to distribute leaflets on their behalf (i.e., a high-cost task). Responses to the petition-signing measure indicated a ceiling effect with almost all participants offering to help. However, consistent with previous research on mood and helping behavior, uplifting music led to participants offering to help more on the high-cost, leaflet-distributing task than did annoying music.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-458522017-09-13T14:25:26Z The effects of music on helping behavior: A field study North, Adrian Tarrant, M. Hargreaves, David Several studies indicate that mood can influence the likelihood of an individual demonstrating instances of helping behavior, and one previous laboratory study has indicated that music can be used to bring about manipulations of mood to such an end. To investigate this in a naturalistic setting, 646 users of a university gym were played either uplifting or annoying music while theyworked out. Upon completionof theirworkout, they were asked to either sign a petition in support of a fictitious sporting charity (i.e., a low-cost task) or to distribute leaflets on their behalf (i.e., a high-cost task). Responses to the petition-signing measure indicated a ceiling effect with almost all participants offering to help. However, consistent with previous research on mood and helping behavior, uplifting music led to participants offering to help more on the high-cost, leaflet-distributing task than did annoying music. 2010 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45852 10.1177/0013916503256263 Sage Publications, Inc. fulltext
spellingShingle North, Adrian
Tarrant, M.
Hargreaves, David
The effects of music on helping behavior: A field study
title The effects of music on helping behavior: A field study
title_full The effects of music on helping behavior: A field study
title_fullStr The effects of music on helping behavior: A field study
title_full_unstemmed The effects of music on helping behavior: A field study
title_short The effects of music on helping behavior: A field study
title_sort effects of music on helping behavior: a field study
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45852