Character strengths as predictors of trust and cooperation in economic decision-making

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cooperation occupies nearly every aspect of human life. While previous research focuses on how situational factors and personality predict cooperation, less is known about how specific character strengths predict cooperation. In Study 1, we find that higher Self-Control values and lower Inquisitiveness values were associated with a larger contribution in the Trust Game. In Study 2, we find that kindness positively predicted the total amount of money earned in a Prisoner’s Dilemma game. However, Self-Control was not a significant predictor for any dependent measure. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of these findings, compare our results to other research on dispositional predictors of trust and cooperation, and postulate that the oinconsistent role of Self-Control may be attribouted tof theoretical differences in the Trust and Prisoner’s Dilemma games. Finally, we offer future directions that can build on the present findings.