Touched by your words: How touch-related vocabulary prompts charitable behavior by reducing the negative effect of disgust
Getting help is often difficult for people who trigger disgust (e.g., homeless, sick, or disabled people) as well as the charities representing them because of low trust in these groups. Prior research has demonstrated that physical contact can help increase generosity. However, it is difficult to t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1104356/full |
| _version_ | 1811158683582726144 |
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| author | Olivia Petit |
| author_facet | Olivia Petit |
| author_sort | Olivia Petit |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Getting help is often difficult for people who trigger disgust (e.g., homeless, sick, or disabled people) as well as the charities representing them because of low trust in these groups. Prior research has demonstrated that physical contact can help increase generosity. However, it is difficult to trigger this phenomenon—called Midas Touch Effect—when people feel disgust and are uncomfortable with interpersonal touch. This research examines touch-related vocabulary (e.g., “I would be touched,” “anyone who I can contact”) as an alternative, non-physical way for prompting the Midas Touch Effect. This research examines if such a vocabulary may reduce the negative effects of disgust on trust, and thus increase the willingness to donate. Across two studies, it is shown that while disgust has a negative effect on trust and willingness to donate to a homeless person when no touch-related vocabulary is used, no such negative effect is observed when the message includes touch-related vocabulary. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:28:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ab92849e615c4874be8e960b2194b18b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:28:17Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-ab92849e615c4874be8e960b2194b18b2023-03-07T13:26:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782023-03-011410.3389/fpsyg.2023.11043561104356Touched by your words: How touch-related vocabulary prompts charitable behavior by reducing the negative effect of disgustOlivia PetitGetting help is often difficult for people who trigger disgust (e.g., homeless, sick, or disabled people) as well as the charities representing them because of low trust in these groups. Prior research has demonstrated that physical contact can help increase generosity. However, it is difficult to trigger this phenomenon—called Midas Touch Effect—when people feel disgust and are uncomfortable with interpersonal touch. This research examines touch-related vocabulary (e.g., “I would be touched,” “anyone who I can contact”) as an alternative, non-physical way for prompting the Midas Touch Effect. This research examines if such a vocabulary may reduce the negative effects of disgust on trust, and thus increase the willingness to donate. Across two studies, it is shown that while disgust has a negative effect on trust and willingness to donate to a homeless person when no touch-related vocabulary is used, no such negative effect is observed when the message includes touch-related vocabulary.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1104356/fullMidas Touch Effectdisgusttrustempathycharitysocial marketing |
| spellingShingle | Olivia Petit Touched by your words: How touch-related vocabulary prompts charitable behavior by reducing the negative effect of disgust Frontiers in Psychology Midas Touch Effect disgust trust empathy charity social marketing |
| title | Touched by your words: How touch-related vocabulary prompts charitable behavior by reducing the negative effect of disgust |
| title_full | Touched by your words: How touch-related vocabulary prompts charitable behavior by reducing the negative effect of disgust |
| title_fullStr | Touched by your words: How touch-related vocabulary prompts charitable behavior by reducing the negative effect of disgust |
| title_full_unstemmed | Touched by your words: How touch-related vocabulary prompts charitable behavior by reducing the negative effect of disgust |
| title_short | Touched by your words: How touch-related vocabulary prompts charitable behavior by reducing the negative effect of disgust |
| title_sort | touched by your words how touch related vocabulary prompts charitable behavior by reducing the negative effect of disgust |
| topic | Midas Touch Effect disgust trust empathy charity social marketing |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1104356/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT oliviapetit touchedbyyourwordshowtouchrelatedvocabularypromptscharitablebehaviorbyreducingthenegativeeffectofdisgust |