Avoiding the Ask: A Field Experiment on Altruism, Empathy, and Charitable Giving
与救世军合作，在超市入口设置募捐者，通过改变回避难度和口头请求，发现人们会主动回避募捐以调节捐赠和愧疚感。
If people enjoy giving, then why do they avoid fund-raisers? Partnering with the Salvation Army at Christmastime, we conducted a randomized field experiment placing bell ringers at one or both main entrances to a supermarket, making it easy or difficult to avoid the ask. Additionally, bell ringers either were silent or said “please give.” Making avoidance difficult increased both the rate of giving and donations. Paradoxically, the verbal ask dramatically increased giving but also led to dramatic avoidance. We argue that this illustrates sophisticated awareness of the empathy-altruism link: people avoid empathic stimulation to regulate their giving and guilt.