Batman Effect makes people act like decent human beings

Batman: The Oath

A new study found that Batman made subway passengers more likely to give up their seats to a pregnant woman. Sadly, we can’t just start posting people in Batman costumes everywhere to make people treat each other better. It’s not the presence of Batman that causes behavior to change, but the unexpected nature of the event.

The paper, entitled “Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect,” recently published in the journal NPJ Mental Health Research, ran 138 trials in the Milan metro system. In the control scenario, a passenger with a prosthetic belly entered the train. In the experimental scenario, a passenger dressed as Batman, sans mask, to be unexpected but not threatening. The subjects entered through different doors and were at least three meters apart.

The results were dramatic. In the control group, passengers gave up their seats 37.66% of the time, but 67.21% did so when Batman was on the scene. The findings supported the researchers’ hypothesis that “disruptions to routine can heighten awareness of one’s surroundings and enhance sensitivity to the needs of others, ultimately promoting prosocial actions.” Interestingly, the effect occurred even when participants were not consciously aware of Batman.

The researchers propose that the “Batman Effect” could be used by “urban planners, policymakers, and psychologists … to integrate “positive disruptions” into daily life.”