The paper, authored by PhD candidate Denis Coca and Professor Alin Gavreliuc, shows that the way we understand the world is associated with our willingness to do good
Why do some people help immediately, while others remain indifferent?
In everyday life, prosocial behaviours often seem natural: someone holds a door open, another person offers help to a stranger, while someone else becomes involved in volunteering or makes a donation. Yet behind these apparently simple gestures lie complex psychological processes that influence the way people choose to relate to others.
Why do some people react quickly when someone needs help, while others remain reserved or even indifferent?
A new study conducted in Romania, at the West University of Timișoara, offers important answers to this question. The research, authored by PhD candidate Denis Coca and coordinated by Professor Alin Gavreliuc, explores the psychological mechanisms behind prosocial behaviour — that is, people’s tendency to help others.
Published in the international journal Acta Psychologica, the study has an impact factor of 2.70 and represents the second article derived from Denis Coca’s doctoral thesis. The research continues a scientific direction previously validated through a first article published in the International Review of Social Psychology, consolidating a coherent line of inquiry in contemporary social psychology.
What prosocial behaviour actually means
Prosocial behaviours include a wide range of actions: helping a stranger, offering emotional support, volunteering, making donations, or becoming involved in the community.
Although they may seem intuitive or “natural”, these behaviours are not random. They are influenced by the way each individual builds their relationship with the social world — in other words, by how they think, feel, and interpret the reality around them.
The UVT study shows that these behaviours are the result of an integrated psychological mechanism in which personal values, beliefs about the world, and empathy constantly interact.
How the study was conducted
The study was carried out on a sample of 265 adults from Romania and analysed three essential psychological dimensions:
personal values — what we consider important in life;
social axioms — general beliefs about how the world works;
empathy — the ability to understand and feel the emotions of others.
By correlating these variables, the researchers were able to build a complex picture of how people come to display, or not display, prosocial behaviours.
The results show that these three dimensions do not function separately, but form an interdependent psychological system.
Personal values: the strongest predictor of helping behaviour
One of the most important conclusions of the study is that values oriented towards others are the strongest predictor of prosocial behaviour.
In other words, people who place emphasis on:
care for others,
solidarity,
social responsibility,
the common good,
are much more likely to offer concrete help in real-life situations.
This finding confirms the idea that prosociality is not merely a momentary emotional impulse, but is deeply rooted in an individual’s value system.
The way we see the world influences the way we help
A central element of the study is the role of so-called social axioms — general beliefs about how the world works.
The research shows that the way people interpret reality has a significant impact on their behaviour.
For example:
People who perceive the world as complex and nuanced tend to be more open and more willing to help.
Those who believe that effort is rewarded show more consistent prosocial behaviour.
A view of the world as relatively fair and predictable supports cooperation and social involvement.
These results suggest that cognitive flexibility and trust in the meaning of personal effort play an important role in helping behaviours.
Social cynicism and its indirect effects
A particularly relevant aspect of the research is its analysis of the impact of social cynicism.
The study shows that a negative view of the world — characterised by distrust in other people and in institutions — does not directly reduce prosocial behaviour, but influences it indirectly.
The mechanism identified is the following:
cynicism reduces the level of empathy;
reduced empathy lowers the likelihood of helping.
In other words, people who believe that others are generally selfish or ill-intentioned find it more difficult to connect emotionally with the needs of others, which affects supportive behaviours.
Empathy: the “central node” of prosocial behaviour
Empathy appears in the study as a key element of the entire psychological mechanism.
The researchers distinguish between two forms of empathy:
cognitive empathy — the ability to understand another person’s perspective;
affective empathy — the ability to feel another person’s emotions.
Both are important, but they function differently:
cognitive empathy helps identify situations in which someone needs help;
affective empathy motivates the actual act of support.
Together, they form a system that connects thought, emotion, and behaviour.
Religious beliefs and their impact on prosocial behaviour
An interesting result of the study shows that certain religious or spiritual beliefs can positively influence prosocial behaviours.
More specifically:
belief in a supernatural entity associated with protection and moral guidance can increase affective empathy;
other types of beliefs, such as the idea that life is governed by a broader order, can stimulate moral responsibility.
These mechanisms indirectly contribute to an increase in helping behaviours.
The Romanian context: why these results matter
In Romania, the level of interpersonal trust is often considered lower compared to other European societies, while the perception of social cynicism is relatively high.
In this context, the results of the study become particularly relevant.
They suggest that:
empathy can function as a factor of social protection;
beliefs about the world can influence social cohesion;
prosocial behaviours can be supported through educational and social interventions.
What this study tells us about human nature
The research conducted at UVT shows that the willingness to help others is not a simple character trait.
It is the result of a complex interaction between:
personal values,
beliefs about the world,
emotional processes,
and social experiences.
In other words, the way people think about the world deeply influences the way they act in relation to others.
Implications for education, society, and public policy
The results of the study have important implications beyond the field of psychology.
They can contribute to:
the development of educational programmes that cultivate empathy;
social interventions that reduce cynicism and distrust;
public policies that encourage cooperation and solidarity;
community initiatives designed to increase civic engagement.
In a society marked by uncertainty and social fragmentation, these psychological mechanisms become essential for the “social health” of communities.
Conclusion: the good of others begins with the way we see the world
The study carried out at the West University of Timișoara offers an important perspective on an essential truth: people do not help only because they “are good”, but because they have a specific way of understanding the world.
In this sense, prosociality is not random, but psychologically constructed — through values, beliefs, and emotions that influence one another.
And the important news is that these mechanisms can be cultivated.
Scientific article
The study can be accessed here:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106996
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