This may sound like a blatant bid for the , but despite its oddity, a new study truly inspires empathy in people.
What’s Batman got to do with it?
Psychologists from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Italy conducted 138 experiments in the Milan subway to determine whether anyone would give up their seat for a pregnant passenger.
The main characters in these experiments were a man dressed as Batman and a woman with a fake belly portraying a pregnant woman. To ensure no one suspected that Batman and the pregnant passenger were in cahoots, they entered the train through different doors, stood apart from each other, and did not interact.
It turned out that the presence of Batman somehow correlated with the prosocial behavior of passengers. In 67 percent of cases, people offered their seats to the pregnant woman when Batman was on the train. In contrast, when the superhero was absent, this happened only 37.66 percent of the time.
What explains the passengers’ behavior?
So why did people become kinder upon seeing Batman? It’s unlikely it was because they feared looking bad in the eyes of a superhero known for punishing villains.
As the researchers noted in their report, when respondents were asked about the reason for their prosocial gesture, most emphasized the importance of helping pregnant women, while some cited social norms or safety considerations.
Interestingly, among those who gave up their seats for the woman, none attributed their actions specifically to Batman’s presence. In fact, 43 percent of these passengers reported that they didn’t even see him, as reported by Science Alert.
Instead, the team suggested that perhaps seeing something unexpected nearby makes you more aware and more likely to notice someone in need of help.
For example, you might be engrossed in a podcast on your way to work and not pay much attention to others. But someone boarding the train in a Batman costume is sure to catch your eye, and suddenly you notice the pregnant passenger who needs the seat more than you do.
This might happen subconsciously. Thus, most empathetic passengers did not directly link their behavior to the presence of the caped crusader. Meanwhile, the actions of those who reported not seeing Batman at all are a bit harder to explain. However, the team speculated that they likely noticed the commotion caused by the superhero.
It’s also possible that the superhero figure reminded them of the significance of cultural values, gender roles, and norms of chivalrous assistance, said Francesco Pagnini, a member of the research team.
To confirm this, the scientists plan to conduct similar experiments with different characters. Will people’s altruism increase in the presence of, say, Darth Vader, who isn’t exactly known for his prosocial behavior?
The results of the study were published in the journal npj Mental Health Research.
