Helping in Times of Need Cultivates Empathic Concern Over Time

We test the hypothesis that wealth is associated with lower empathic concern because wealthier people experience fewer challenges and give help less often to people in need. As predicted, Study 1 (N = 513; cross-sectional) showed wealth was negatively associated with trait empathic concern through experiencing fewer challenges and providing less help. Study 2 (N = 915; longitudinal) replicated this while also revealing unexpected curvilinear associations. At low levels of helping (measured monthly across one year), wealth led to lower empathy through experiencing fewer challenges and less helping. However, more helping led to decreasing empathy at higher levels of helping. Moreover, person-centered analyses showed that people experienced higher state-level empathic concern in months in which they provided moderate amounts of help relative to when they helped less than their usual amount of helping. Results suggest people can cultivate empathy through helping, but only for those who help a moderate amount.