Does gratitude moderate the bystander effect? A registered report.

Authors

Ryuji Oguni, Yukari Jessica Tham, Chikara Ishii

Published in

Cognition & emotion. Pages 1-11. Jul 08, 2026. Epub Jul 08, 2026.

Abstract

The prosocial function of gratitude is well-established in bilateral situations. However, its role in situations with multiple potential benefactors is unclear. As the number of potential benefactors increases, prosocial decisions become more complex due to the diffusion of responsibility and uncertainty about others' intentions. In this registered report, we examined whether gratitude promotes prosocial behaviour in situations with multiple potential benefactors and whether it moderates the inhibitory effect of their increasing number. Participants (N = 867) were randomly assigned to gratitude, calm, or neutral conditions. They decided whether to allocate resources to a beneficiary in the presence of one, three, or five potential benefactors. The results demonstrated the bystander effect, showing that prosocial behaviour declined as the number of potential benefactors increased. Although gratitude promoted prosocial behaviour, it did not moderate the inhibitory effect of increasing the number of potential benefactors on prosocial behaviour. These findings reveal the effects and scope of gratitude's prosocial function, indicating that gratitude promotes prosocial behaviour but does not moderate the bystander effect.

PMID:
42418685
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Jul 2026.

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