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Abstract

Prior research suggests that prosocial behaviours (the diverse ways we act to benefit others) are generally associated with improved health and well-being outcomes for the person doing the helping. However, many studies show null findings, and some even find that prosocial behaviours are associated with adverse outcomes, potentially due to not accounting for other daily activities and other contextual variables. To address these gaps, I evaluated prosociality “in the wild”, or in the context of other prosocial behaviours (Study 1), other daily activities (Study 2), and the surrounding networks of prosocial persons (Study 3). In Study 1 (N = 40,817), I examined how diversity of prosocial engagement was associated with health and well-being. Prosocial engagement diversity was not associated with either life evaluation or self-rated health, and the total amount of prosocial engagement did not moderate these associations. There were differences across sociodemographic groups and when evaluating diversity within prosocial behaviour categories (e.g., diversity within types of care for non-household members). In Study 2 (N = 16,228), I examined the trade-offs in time use between prosocial behaviours and other daily activities using compositional data analysis. Trade-offs between prosocial and other activities were associated with health and well-being, especially depending on the activities involved, for whom trade-offs occurred, and other contextual factors (e.g., day of the week). In Study 3 (N = 119), I examined bidirectional associations between prosociality and social network integration in a 14-day intervention. Pre-intervention centrality was not associated with the proportion of acts of kindness performed during the intervention period, and performing a greater proportion of acts of kindness was not associated with post-intervention centrality. Network centrality was bidirectionally associated with the diversity of recipients of acts of kindness. Together, these findings illustrate that studying prosocial acts in combination with other activities, considering important sociodemographic moderators, and accounting for the recipients of prosocial acts, may influence associations between prosocial behaviours and health and well-being and present important avenues for future research. Further work is needed to inform and influence prosocial engagement recommendations that promote global prosociality in ways that enhance both individual and societal well-being.