How to Spread Kindness: Effects of Rewarding Elements Within a Persuasive Application to Foster Prosocial Behavior

For investigating whether rewarding elements within a persuasive web-application for increasing prosocial behavior are effective, we conducted an experimental field study with a self-developed web-app (N = 42). Two different versions of the persuasive web-app (high/low persuasive) to foster good deeds were implemented and examined during a three-week period. In both versions, the evaluation of the user-interface correlated positively with the execution of the target behavior, i.e. performing good deeds. Also, the availability of a user profile and a ranking was positively associated with performing prosocial behavior. However, there was neither a significant difference regarding the intensity of app usage nor concerning the number of performed good deeds between experimental groups (high/low persuasive). Therefore, the availability of more persuasive features does not necessarily entail more persuasion. In conclusion, we derive design suggestions for developing persuasive mobile applications which provide benefits for (pro-)social life through encouraging people to perform good deeds.

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