Social status modulates prosocial behavior and egalitarianism in preschool children and adults

Significance Even though humans are the most altruistic species, disparities in prosocial orientation are common and occur across social groups that vary in education, sex roles, biology, and financial resources. In the present research, using different manipulations of social status—defined as the level of social prestige and reputation enjoyed by individuals in the eyes of others—we show that mere incidental low status triggers a prosocial orientation manifested in helping behavior, signaling communal intent, and the endorsement of egalitarian goals and values. These effects start to appear early in human ontogeny. The findings suggest that humans have basic cognitive and motivational programs that they use flexibly as they navigate unstable hierarchies typical in human societies. Humans are a cooperative species, capable of altruism and the creation of shared norms that ensure fairness in society. However, individuals with different educational, cultural, economic, or ethnic backgrounds differ in their levels of social investment and endorsement of egalitarian values. We present four experiments showing that subtle cues to social status (i.e., prestige and reputation in the eyes of others) modulate prosocial orientation. The experiments found that individuals who experienced low status showed more communal and prosocial behavior, and endorsed more egalitarian life goals and values compared with those who experienced high status. Behavioral differences across high- and low-status positions appeared early in human ontogeny (4–5 y of age).