Can repeated and reflective prosocial experiences in sport increase generosity in adolescent athletes?

Abstract

In partnership with a sport-based Experiential Philanthropy Intervention (EPI)-The Play Better Program-we conducted a pre-registered, longitudinal experiment examining whether repeatedly reflecting on prosocial activity could boost adolescents' objective generosity. Adolescents (N=114; aged 9-16) practiced charitable giving throughout their 2month sports season and were randomly assigned to repeatedly reflect on the importance of their prosocial activity (Reflection condition) or to write about their everyday activities (Control condition). Adolescents completed an objective measure of generosity at pre-and post-intervention and self-reported measures of prosocial character. Across conditions, adolescents donated objectively more at post-vs. pre-intervention. However, adolescents in the Reflection (vs. Control) condition were no more generous and did not report greater prosocial character at post-intervention. Overall, these findings highlight the malleability of human prosociality and the need for additional scholar-practitioner collaborations to uncover whether and how EPIs boost long-term generosity among the next generation of givers.

“I don’t want to follow the pack”: Canadian adolescents’ lived experiences of silence and quietude among friends and family

“…As studies with young adolescents suggest, the ability to be mindful and compassionate towards others and oneself may not always be mutually reinforcing (Bayır-Toper et al, 2022). Youth development programs need to address and promote the growth of authenticity, or the ability to become emotionally mature (Proulx et al, 2023). Given that our present findings showed that in addition to psychological traits, the physical self-concept played a role in adolescents' self-definitions, programs for youth need to draw on a humanist and relational approach to development.…”

Are Real-World Prosociality Programs Associated with Greater Psychological Well-Being in Primary School-Aged Children?

“…Examining the link between prosociality and well-being in community and schoolbased settings is critical in light of the various school-and community-based interventions that aim to nurture a prosocial identity in children, often with the expectation that these programs will enhance children's psychological well-being [29][30][31][32][33]. A wide range of children-focused, school-based prosociality programs have been developed, such as Social Emotional Learning programs, e.g., [32], Intergenerational programs (e.g., [34]), Service Learning and Community Engagement programs (e.g., [35]), Experiential Philanthropy programs (e.g., [36,37], Prosocial Mentorship programs (e.g., [38]), Character Education programs (e.g., [39]), and Moral Learning programs (e.g., [40]). All prosociality-focused interventions rest on the assumption that school-aged children can develop greater prosocial tendencies by learning about or practicing prosocial behavior in some form or another and that these experiences can foster greater well-being.…”