Summary: A new study finds that older adults are more likely than younger adults to give to strangers, suggesting that increased generosity in later life may support emotional reward and a strengthened sense of purpose.
Source: NUS.
Greater generosity in later life may provide emotional gratification and a stronger sense of purpose for older adults
Research from the National University of Singapore (NUS) indicates that people often grow more generous as they age, particularly toward strangers. The study found that while older and younger adults are equally generous to family and close friends, senior citizens give more to socially distant individuals—sometimes even when the gift is unlikely to be repaid.
“Greater generosity was observed among senior citizens possibly because as people become older, their values shift away from immediate personal interests toward more lasting sources of meaning within their communities,” said Assistant Professor Rongjun Yu, who led the study. Asst Prof Yu is affiliated with the Department of Psychology at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology.
The findings were published online in Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences on April 5, 2017.
Generosity toward strangers grows with age
Previous research has shown older adults volunteer more often, express greater concern for social and ecological causes, and place less emphasis on accumulating wealth. But the core motivation behind these shifts in prosocial behavior has been less clear. To explore this, the NUS team examined how social relationships influence giving across different ages.
Between March 2016 and January 2017, the researchers recruited 78 participants in Singapore: 39 older adults averaging 70 years of age and 39 younger adults averaging 23 years. The team used a social-discounting framework to measure generosity across a range of social distances—from close family and friends to total strangers. Participants rated how close various people were to them and then indicated how much money they would give to each person. A computational model converted these responses into a measure of generosity as a function of social distance.
Results showed that both younger and older adults were similarly generous toward close social ties, such as family members and intimate friends. The difference emerged with people who are socially distant: older adults displayed a much gentler decline in generosity as social distance increased. In other words, seniors were more willing to give to strangers and other distant recipients than younger adults, even when reciprocity was unlikely.
Dr. Narun Pornpattananangkul, the paper’s first author, described this pattern as consistent with an “ego-transcending” motivation—an orientation that prioritizes the well-being of others over immediate self-interest. “In earlier work, we found that oxytocin, a hormone linked to trust and maternal bonding, can enhance this motive. The pattern we observed among older adults looks similar to a boost in ego-transcending motivation,” Dr. Pornpattananangkul said. He is a research fellow in the Department of Psychology at NUS.
Asst Prof Yu emphasized that these findings deepen our understanding of how priorities and social motivation change with age. “Creating more opportunities for older adults to help others could benefit society while also enhancing seniors’ own well-being,” he noted. The team recommends future research that directly measures well-being to test this hypothesis.
Future research: neural mechanisms and interventions
To better understand how decision-making changes with age, Asst Prof Yu and his colleagues are planning brain-imaging studies to identify the neural mechanisms behind altered generosity. Clarifying how aging affects the brain systems that guide decisions could support interventions that promote healthy ageing and help address age-related conditions—such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases—where decision-making deficits are common.
Source: Carolyn Fong — NUS
Original research: “Social Discounting in the Elderly: Senior Citizens are Good Samaritans to Strangers” by Narun Pornpattananangkul, Avijit Chowdhury, Lei Feng, and Rongjun Yu, published in Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences (published online April 5, 2017; doi:10.1093/geronb/gbx040).
Abstract
Social Discounting in the Elderly: Senior Citizens are Good Samaritans to Strangers
Objectives.
People often become more generous with age, which may reflect strengthened ego-transcending motives—an increased concern for others’ welfare relative to one’s own. This study examined evidence for enhanced ego-transcending motivation in older adults.
Methods.
Using a social-discounting paradigm, generosity toward recipients at varying social distances—from close family and friends to strangers—was measured in younger and older adults. The hypothesis was that the typical decline in generosity as social distance increases would be attenuated in older adults.
Results.
Results supported the hypothesis: older adults displayed less social discounting and were more generous to socially distant others than younger adults.
Discussion.
These findings align with the idea that aging is associated with a shift toward ego-transcending goals. Older adults appear inclined to act generously even when their actions are unlikely to be reciprocated, pointing to changes in social motivation across the lifespan.