Levine PDF

7/31/2019 Levine PDF

1/23

The Science of

Compassion,Telluride, CO

July, 2012

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

Robert LevineCalifornia State University, Fresno


2/23

Eckmans Typology of

Compassion

Familial

Familiar

Strangers

Sentient


3/23

City people "have no manners, nocourtesy, no consideration for the

rights of others, and no humanity."

Thomas Wolfe


4/23


5/23

Inle Lake market,Myanmar (Burma)


6/23

Where do People Help?

Research questions:

(1) How does overall helping compare from one cityand region to another?

(2) How well does population size predict helping, and

in which situations?

(3) Which other characteristics of communities--

demographic, social, environmental and economic

conditions--best predict differences in helpingtoward strangers?


7/23

Six measures of helping:

Does a man with a hurt leg receive assistance

picking up a dropped magazine?


8/23

Will a blind person be helped to cross a busystreet?


9/23

Is an "unnoticed" dropped pen retrieved by a

passerby?


10/23

Six measures of helping: Does a man with a hurt leg receive assistance picking up

a dropped magazine? Will a blind person be helped to cross a busy street?

Is an "unnoticed" dropped pen retrieved by a passerby?

Will a stranger try to make change for a quarter?

Do people take the time to mail a stamped andaddressed "lost" letter?

How much does a city contribute per capita to United

Way?


11/23


12/23

Helping Strangers in U.S. Cities


13/23

Source: American Scientist, May-June 2003, Volume 91


14/23


15/23

Helping in 24 Cities, Summer 2005

Overall Helping Dropped Pen Hurt Leg ChangeCity Rank (Score

a)Rank % Help Rank % Help Rank

% Help

Knoxville, TN 1 (3.45) 9 (55%) 7 (73%) 1 (71%)

Kansas City, MO 2 (2.91) 6 (59%) 2 (81%) 3 (54%)

Louisville, KY 3 (2.52) 2 (70%) 9 (71%) 6.5 (47%)

Indianapolis, IN 4 (2.38) 4 (62%) 5 (77%) 6.5 (47%)

Dallas, TX 5 (2.31) 1 (83%) 12.5 (67%) 13.5 (37%)Nashville, TN 6 (2.28) 3 (63%) 4 (77%) 9 (44%)

Sacramento, CA 7 (1.88) 7 (59%) 6 (75%) 11 (44%)

Chattanooga, TN 8 (1.71) 14 (48%) 1 (83%) 8 (44%)

Worcester, MA 9 (1.49) 10 (53%) 10 (67%) 4 (50%)

Springfield, MA 10 (1.19) 13 (50%) 12.5 (67%) 5 (48%)

Providence, RI 11 (.96) 5 (60%) 17 (60%) 12 (41%)

Lansing, MI 12 (.23) 22 (23%) 12.5 (67%) 2 (57%)Fresno, CA 13 (-.30) 12 (52%) 18 (55%) 16 (34%)

Rochester, NY 14 (-.39) 16 (36%) 12.5 (67%) 13.5 (37%)

Bakersfield, CA 15 (-.39) 11 (53%) 21 (42%) 10 (44%)

San Jose, CA 16 (-.63) 15 (42%) 3 (78%) 22 (19%)

Detroit, MI 17 (-.86) 17 (36%) 15 (65%) 18 (31%)

Boston, MA 18 (-1.23) 23 (20%) 8 (72%) 17 (33%)

Youngstown, PA 19 (-1.36) 8 (58%) 23 (31%) 15 (35%)Atlanta, GA 20 (-.77) 18 (35%) 16 (60%) 19 (23%)

Chicago, IL 21 (-.76) 19 (29%) 19 (53%) 21 (19%)

Los Angeles, CA 22 (-.62) 20 (29%) 20 (48%) 24 (11%)

San Francisco,CA 23 (-.25) 21 (27%) 22 (39%) 23 (12%)

New York, NY 24 (-.73) 24 (15%) 24 (13%) 20 (22%)a

Average of standardized scores (M = 10, SD = 1.0%) for the three measures


16/23

RESULTS: HELPFULNESS IS HIGHER IN

PLACES WITH

Smaller population size and less populationdensity

Lower rates of population change

Less (yes, less) affluent economies (e.g. loweroverall incomes, more people below the

poverty line)

Slower pace of life (e.g. walking speed)

Crime rates?


17/23

For more information, you can

download The Kindness of Strangers(from American Scientist) from my

website:

www.boblevine.net


18/23

Thupten Jimpa: The need to

sharpen our constructs

Civility vs. Helping

Concern vs. Action (Paul Ekman)

Does compassion always arise

through the empathy route?

(Thupten Jimpa)


19/23


20/23


21/23

Compassionate places vs.

Compassionate people

------The power of social norms


22/23

Ive always depended on the

kindness of strangers.

--Blanche Dubois in Tennessee

WilliamsA Streetcar Named Desire


23/23

The End

Levine PDF

Documents