Are charity bike riders motivated by fame or fortune?

A new study released by Tel Aviv University, reveals that “image motivation,” the positive recognition a giver gets from other members of the community, can make a big difference.

Research by Dr. Anat Bracha of the Eitan Berglas School of Economics at Tel Aviv University in conjunction with Dr. Stephan Meier of Columbia Business School and Dr. Dan Ariely of Duke University included an experiment in the gym at MIT, with a “Biking for Charity” scenario in which participants were invited to bike for ten minutes to earn money for a charitable cause based on the effort they exerted.

“We had one group do it in public, and one in private,” says Dr. Bracha. “The ‘public sphere’ was in the main room of the gym, and the ‘private sphere’ was on the third floor, in its own room. What we demonstrated was that giving was affected by how visible the participation was. The more public, the greater the image boost, and the greater the contribution.”

When monetary incentives were introduced, with some of the participants paid to take part in the bike challenge, they were more effective in private than in public. “Monetary and image motivations clashed,” Dr. Bracha explains.

In the public sphere, people exerted the same level of effort on their stationary bikes with or without compensation, aware that positive social acclaim might be undermined if viewers were aware of their personal monetary gain. In the private room, where participants did not have to contend with social judgment, they biked more miles on average when they were paid to do so.

Which begs the question, should “volunteers” be paid and in which situations? Does it even matter why we do good things as long as they get done?

JGooders is at the forefront of connecting volunteers with great causes, with hundreds of great projects to get involved with. What do you think should motivate us to do good? Post your thoughts below.

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