The negative-state relief model states that human beings have an innate drive to reduce negative moods.
In Manucia's 1979 study, the hedonistic nature of helping behaviour was revealed and negative relief model was supported.
[7] It contradicted with the theory proposed by Robert Cialdini in 1987[6] which supported that empathy-altruism hypothesis was actually the product of an entirely egoistic desire for personal mood management.
[8] For very young children, a negative mood would not increase their helpfulness because they had not yet learned to associate pro-social behaviour with social rewards.
[9] Specific types of negative feelings that increase helping - guilt, embarrassment, or awareness of cognitive inconsistency,[10][11][12] were not viewed as uniquely important.
[13] On 26 Dec 2004, there was a great tsunami striking the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing more than 225,000 people in eleven countries.
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand were among approximately 14 countries to experience the death of thousands of locals and tourists.
Giving seat to the persons in need can instrumentally restore the bystander's mood as helping contains a rewarding component for most socialized people.
For example, it was found that empathic concern was linked to the willingness to help kin but not a stranger when egoistic motivators were controlled.
[14] To get a more comprehensive view, future studies should test the negative state relief model under different contexts.
Such explorations would be crucial to dig out the contextual effects and psychological factors underlying prosocial behaviors.