Solution #13

Research shows that the need for social acceptance declines rapidly with age—meaning people tend to look more after themselves. Therefore, two groups should be sufficient, e.g., under 60 and over 60, or under 50 and over 50.

K. R. 9 hours ago

6 votes

Convinced? Rate this contribution from the community — and help make the best ideas visible.

4 comments

Join the discussion: ask questions, challenge ideas, and add context so the post becomes clearer.

1000 characters remaining

L. F.

7 hours ago

The statement is not scientifically sustainable in this form. A meta‑analysis published in 2024 evaluated 46 studies with over 176,000 participants. The result: older people showed, on average, even more prosocial behavior than younger ones. This was especially pronounced when sharing money and material goods. Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

K. R.Author

3 hours ago

Thank you for the input and the note! I was referring to a series of studies by ZHAW on housing in Switzerland. I don’t see the 46 studies that Oxford has examined here, but I would point to cultural differences if those (mostly) were Anglo‑Saxon. Nevertheless, I acknowledge that other studies can arrive at different conclusions. This could also be because behavior is topic‑dependent, but that is just a speculation.

R. P.

9 hours ago

The conclusion of the research does not seem convincing to me: if one is no longer dependent on social acceptance, this could also mean that one purely prefers the best solution on a factual basis – regardless of what social media or mass media expect from one. If one only pays attention to social acceptance in a decision, those with the loudest voices (populists), who can shape societal opinion, would always win.

K. R.Author

3 hours ago

Yes, prosocial behavior would have been a better term. Or social empathy. And there are indeed advantages when one “doesn’t have to anymore,” I see that point. Regarding influence, however, I see the danger equally in young and old.