Tears evoke the intention to offer social support: A systematic investigation of the interpersonal effects of emotional crying across 41 countries
Zickfeld and colleagues, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 95, 2021, 104137. Preregistered, about 7,000 participants and 24,886 ratings from 41 countries; pictures of 100 targets with or without digitally added tears. Tears increased support intentions, explained by perceived warmth and helplessness, closeness and empathic concern, not personal distress; stronger among observers high in trait empathic concern; effect size varied across countries.
Zickfeld and colleagues, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 95, 2021, 104137. Preregistered, about 7,000 participants and 24,886 ratings from 41 countries; pictures of 100 targets with or without digitally added tears. Tears increased support intentions, explained by perceived warmth and helplessness, closeness and empathic concern, not personal distress; stronger among observers high in trait empathic concern; effect size varied across countries.
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Zickfeld, J. H., van de Ven, N., Pich, O., Schubert, T. W., et al. (2021). Tears evoke the intention to offer social support: A systematic investigation of the interpersonal effects of emotional crying across 41 countries. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 95, 104137. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104137 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104137