Zeng Weinan, Wang Yan, Cui Lijuan, Feng Ningning
School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Management, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Apr 25;15(5):577. doi: 10.3390/bs15050577.
Empathy is crucial for social cohesion and prosocial behavior, yet the influence of a target's materialism on observers' empathy remains underexplored. This research investigates whether and how a target's materialistic tendencies influence observers' empathy, and the mechanisms underlying this effect. We proposed three hypotheses: (H1) observers exhibit less empathy for materialistic individuals compared to nonmaterialistic ones; (H2) perceived low morality mediates the negative effect of target materialism on empathy; and (H3) perceived lack of warmth also serves as a mediator. Across four studies, we tested these hypotheses. Study 1 ( = 190) found a significant difference in observers' empathy toward high versus low materialistic targets. Study 2 ( = 362) demonstrated that this effect resulted from decreased empathy toward materialistic individuals rather than increased empathy toward nonmaterialistic ones, and together with Study 1, supported H1. Study 3 ( = 375) ruled out perceived social class as an alternative explanation, providing additional evidence for the independent effect of target materialism on empathy. Study 4 ( = 785) tested H2 and H3, and confirmed that perceived morality and perceived warmth both significantly mediated the effect of target materialism on observers' empathy. These findings enhance our understanding of the negative social consequences of materialism and contribute to the literature on selective empathy and person perception.
同理心对于社会凝聚力和亲社会行为至关重要，然而目标对象的物质主义对观察者同理心的影响仍未得到充分研究。本研究调查目标对象的物质主义倾向是否以及如何影响观察者的同理心，以及这种影响背后的机制。我们提出了三个假设：（H1）与非物质主义者相比，观察者对物质主义者表现出更少的同理心；（H2）感知到的低道德调节目标物质主义对同理心的负面影响；（H3）感知到的缺乏温暖也起到中介作用。通过四项研究，我们对这些假设进行了检验。研究1（N = 190）发现观察者对高物质主义目标和低物质主义目标的同理心存在显著差异。研究2（N = 362）表明，这种影响是由于对物质主义者的同理心下降，而不是对非物质主义者的同理心增加，并且与研究1一起支持了H1。研究3（N = 375）排除了感知社会阶层作为替代解释，为目标物质主义对同理心的独立影响提供了额外证据。研究4（N = 785）检验了H2和H3，并证实感知道德和感知温暖都显著中介了目标物质主义对观察者同理心的影响。这些发现增强了我们对物质主义负面社会后果的理解，并为关于选择性同理心和人物感知的文献做出了贡献。
