Does Perception of Relational Mobility Affect the Evaluation of Norm-Deviant Altruism?

Abstract

Generosity does not always result in a positive reputation. Kawamura and Kusumi (2020) found that altruistic behavior that deviates from social norms was evaluated less favorably than moderately altruistic behavior, and that this tendency was more pronounced in Japan than in the United States. This may be attributed to a lower tolerance for deviance among Japanese individuals. Relational mobility, which influences tolerance for deviance, is generally higher in the United States than in Japan, potentially accounting for these cultural differences. In the present study, Japanese participants preferred an equal distributor over one who gave away everything, perceiving the former as more normative. This finding replicates the results of the previous study. Furthermore, the equal distributor was also newly found to be preferred as a business partner. However, individual differences in perceived relational mobility did not influence participants’ evaluations of the distributors. The effects of the degree of participants’ altruism and general trust were also examined.