Do male and female soccer players differ in helping? A study on prosocial behavior among young players.

ABSTRACT: Acting prosocially can be quite challenging in one of the most salient intergroup contexts in contemporary society: Soccer. When winning is the ultimate goal, balancing self-interest with helping a fellow player in distress can be a tough decision; yet it happens. To date, we know little about what motivates soccer players to offer such help in the heat of the game. We propose that sex and what is at stake will matter in such prosocial dilemma situations. A pilot study (N = 107) indicated that female players may be more likely to help than male players, but this difference was only observed when the players are close to scoring position rather than far away from the goal (midfield). The main study (N = 366) finds that young soccer players show elevated inclinations to help in low-stakes si

SUBMITTER: Van Lange PAM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6296654 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature