Aging and altruism: A meta-analysis.

Abstract

Life span theories postulate that altruistic tendencies increase in adult development, but the mechanisms and moderators of age-related differences in altruism are poorly understood. In particular, it is unclear to what extent age differences in altruism reflect age differences in altruistic motivation, in resources such as education and income, or in socially desirable responding. This meta-analysis combined 16 studies assessing altruism in younger and older adults (N ϭ 1,581). As expected, results revealed an age-related difference in altruism (M g ϭ 0.61, p Ͻ .001), with older adults showing greater altruism than younger adults. Demographic moderators (income, education, sex distribution) did not significantly moderate this effect, nor did aspects of the study methodology that may drive socially desirable responding. However, the age effect was moderated by the average age of the older sample, such that studies with young-old samples showed a larger age effect than studies with old-old samples. These findings are consistent with the theoretical prediction of age-related increases in altruistic motivation, but they also suggest a role for resources (e.g., physical, cognitive, social) that may decline in advanced old age.

Stress and Adjustment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study on the Lived Experience of Canadian Older Adults

“…This cohort of older adults also expressed anger towards the youth, perceiving a sense of ageism from this generation and a disregard for the lives of vulnerable persons [ 19 ]. In the current sample, greater concern for others’ wellbeing was emphasized among older adults, which is aligned with the notion that aging is associated with greater altruism [ 20 ]. Considering that altruistic attitudes predict positive effects in later adulthood [ 21 ], caring for the personal safety of others and engaging in prosocial behaviors (discussed below) during the pandemic may reflect a characteristic of resiliency among older adults.…”

Older adults across the globe exhibit increased prosocial behavior but also greater in-group preferences

“…For instance, our findings could reflect age-related differences in perceived efficacy of distancing and donating during the pandemic or anxiety regarding the economic impact. We believe that our findings transcend the current pandemic and support past empirical and theoretical accounts of increased prosociality among older adults in other contexts [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . Crucially, we demonstrate age-related differences in prosocial behavior in the majority of countries across the globe.…”

“…Each hypothetical charity was described as a charity organization providing medical support for COVID-19 either "in your own country" or "all over the world" respectively. There is evidence that hypothetical dictator game measures are comparable to non-hypothetical measures in terms of amount donated and associations with age 8,9,53 . A hypothetical version for charitable donations, similar to the current measure, was selected for an international survey as it predicted an incentivized measure 27,28,54 .…”

Stress and Adjustment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study on the Lived Experience of Older Adults

“…Due to the prevalence of contentious discourse around mask wearing, many participants conveyed their strong belief in the importance of wearing a mask, not just for personal safety, but for the safety of others. Indeed, greater concern for others' wellbeing was emphasized among older adults, which is aligned with the notion that aging is associated with greater altruism [19]. Considering that altruistic attitudes predict positive affect in later adulthood [20], caring for the personal safety of others and engaging in prosocial behaviors (discussed below) during the pandemic may reflect a characteristic of resiliency among older adults.…”