Emotion and intergroup cooperation: How verbal expressions of guilt, shame and pride influence behavior in a social dilemma

Nunney, Samuel J., van der Schalk, Job ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7968-4721 and Manstead, Antony S. R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7540-2096 2022. Emotion and intergroup cooperation: How verbal expressions of guilt, shame and pride influence behavior in a social dilemma. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 35 (4) , e2273. 10.1002/bdm.2273

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Abstract

In interpersonal relations, it is known that expressing self-conscious emotions such as guilt and shame following a transgression is beneficial to reconciliation. In the current research, we examine whether this also applies to intergroup relations. Groups of three persons played an intergroup version of the “centipede game,” in which one party can cooperate with or exploit another party. In Study 1, two groups played six rounds of this game in each of two phases. Between phases, groups rated how much guilt, shame, and pride they experienced in relation to how they had performed in Phase 1; these ratings were shared with the opposing group. Groups expressing high levels of guilt and shame were associated with greater cooperation in Phase 2, whereas groups expressing high levels of pride were associated with lower cooperation in Phase 2. In Study 2, all groups played against a “group” programmed to behave in an exploitative way in Phase 1. This group then expressed shame, pride, or no emotion (control) about its performance. Cooperation in Phase 2 was significantly higher in the shame than in the pride condition, and altruistic punishment was highest in the pride condition and lowest in the shame condition. Between them, these studies show that emotional expression plays an important role in repairing intergroup relationships and in particular that expressing shame about a transgression enhances intergroup cooperation following a transgression.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Additional Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0894-3257
Funders:	ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 January 2022
Date of Acceptance:	24 December 2021
Last Modified:	20 Nov 2024 15:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/146333

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