The price of generosity

Individual experiences suggest that we are more willing to lend someone a helping hand than to give money. But why is it like that? The answer is important because many situations where costs and benefits are not monetary have significant social and economic impacts - climate protection measures, for example, or volunteering for a good cause. Max Peukert spoke with the economist Hande Erkut, who investigated the varying degrees of willingness to help. In a series of laboratory experiments, she found out that behaviour is context-dependent and that social norms play a decisive role. Hande Erkut is a research fellow of the research unit "Market Behavior".