A new study published in npj Mental Health Research found that when an individual dressed as Batman entered a car on the Milan subway, people were more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors, such as giving up their seats.
Before Batman entered the train, passengers offered their seats to a pregnant woman 37.7 percent of the time.
When Batman stepped onto the train, 67.2 percent of passengers offered their seats to a pregnant woman.
Apparently, the mere presence of the Caped Crusader was enough for people to act more valiantly.
What made researchers think of conducting this experiment is beyond me, but it’s brilliant.
This is an interesting result, and I’m sure that people will find ways of using it to encourage more prosocial behavior, but my question is this:
What the hell is wrong with people?
A pregnant woman steps onto a subway car, and 62.3 percent of people don’t give up their seat?
Even when Batman was present, a whopping 32.8 percent, or neatly a third of passengers, remained firmly planted in their seats.
This may have been a study designed to determine the impact of Batman on a subway train, but I think it’s also a study on how selfish human beings behave on public transportation.
And maybe everywhere.
