People often brag about, or advertise, their good deeds to others.
Seven studies investigate how bragging about prosocial behavior affects
perceived generosity. The authors propose that bragging conveys
information about an actor’s good deeds, leading to an attribution of
generosity. However, bragging also signals a selfish motivation (a desire
for credit) that undermines the attribution of generosity. Thus, bragging has
a positive effect when prosocial behavior is unknown because it informs
others that an actor has behaved generously. However, bragging does
not help—and often hurts—when prosocial behavior is already known,
because it signals a selfish motive. In addition, the authors demonstrate
that conspicuous cause marketing products have effects akin to bragging
by signaling an impure motive for doing good deeds. Finally, the authors
argue that bragging about prosocial behavior is unique because it
undermines the precise information that the braggart is trying to convey
(generosity). In contrast, bragging about personal achievements does not
affect perceptions of the focal trait conveyed in the brag. These findings
underscore the strategic considerations inherent in signaling altruism.