Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/113994 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 9110
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Are people willing to sacrifice resources to save one's and others' face? In a laboratory experiment, we study whether individuals forego resources to avoid the public exposure of the least performer in their group. We show that a majority of individuals are willing to pay to preserve not only their self- but also other group members' image. This behavior is frequent even in the absence of group identity. When group identity is more salient, individuals help regardless of whether the least performer is an in-group or an out-group. This suggests that saving others' face is a strong social norm.
Subjects: 
pro-social behavior
social image
saving face
group identity
experiment
JEL: 
C92
D03
M52
Z13
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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