Winning a contest: The Effect of Contest Outcome on Prosocial Behavior

Keywords: Competition; Status; Prosocial behavior

Abstract: Following previous research on various aspects of contests, we aim to explore how taking part in a contest affects subsequent behavior. We focus on whether the very experience of having just competed in a contest would have an impact on other-regarding decisions towards an individual who was not part of a preliminary contest. In addition, and in light of inconclusive results in the existing literature regarding the effect of contest outcome on subsequent prosociality, we reexamine this effect. In line with our hypothesis, participation in a contest was found to reduce prosociality. Additionally, we found that winning a contest reduced prosociality only when decisions were framed as “giving” decisions and not as “dividing” decisions. This finding suggests that the effect of contest outcome may depend on specific elements of the presented situations.