# Is there a name for this phenomenon: a small benevolence removing the desire to do something more? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 20, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493 "2018-05-20T04:16:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/1 "2018-05-20T04:16:18Z")
I thought I remembered something from school, long ago, where a study was done where volunteers were given the opportunity to do some small good thing would remove their guilt and their desire to do something bigger? For example (I’m just making this up): Organization A asks “Hey, will you donate 2 dollars to help the homeless?” and the person says sure. Organization B comes along a day later and asks “Hey, we really need volunteers for our cold-weather shelter on Christmas. Will you come?” and the person says “Sorry, I already gave 2 bucks.” (whereas other volunteers who weren’t asked to donate the $2 first were more likely to perform the greater action) I hope that made some sense… was there a term for this phenomenon (or, indeed, does it even exist?) or am I just misremembering? ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2018, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/2 "2018-05-20T05:03:11Z")
“Gave at the office?” ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/3 "2018-05-20T20:31:47Z")
I found a 2016 paper discussing temporal aspects of charitable giving. I didn’t find any relevant terms, but the OP might find it interesting. [Time-Inconsistent Charitable Giving](http://econweb.ucsd.edu/~jandreon/WorkingPapers/TIC%20CG_161031.pdf) (PDF). Apparently they found they could increase donations in one experiment by asking for a commitment to donate to a charity next week than for this week. Separating out the decision from the actual payment helped. At least among college undergraduates making a $5 donation. ( :dubious: ) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/4 "2018-05-20T20:40:01Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > “Gave at the office?” Or, “Gave at Church.” If there isn’t a name for it, I would call it the “Sunday afternoon effect”, as that is when people are generally at their least generous and forgiving. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2018, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/5 "2018-05-20T22:09:22Z")
Donor burnout? Compassion Fatigue? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2018, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/6 "2018-05-20T22:40:52Z")
I’m more familiar with the opposite effect - the idea that first getting someone to do something small primes for a bigger action. The classic is going around week one just asking people to wear a button or sign a petition in support of a cause and the next week asking them for money. The action of having worn the button or signed the form primes for greater giving the following week. In [this article](https://aarongertler.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Zagefka_2015_disaster_donation_insights.pdf) they refer to that as > [@](#): > > … the foot-in-the-door > method, which involves getting a person to agree to a large request by > first getting that person to agree to a modest request (Freedman & Fraser, 1966). > The effect can even be observed when the two requests are elicited by different > people (Chartrand, Pinckert, & Burger, 1999). One explanation for this effect > might be related to self-perception—performing a small act leads to a redefinition > of attitudes toward the issue or the specific behavior required (DeJong, 1979). > Compliance with the small request sets the person off on a specific direction of > behavioral change, and increases willingness and perceived obligation to continue > and go along the chosen direction, even when the requests get bigger … ---
**Author:** ![Perderabo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Perderabo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perderabo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/7 "2018-05-21T00:26:25Z")
Slacktivism dances pretty close. > **[Slacktivism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacktivism)** > > Slacktivism (a portmanteau of slacker and activism) is the practice of supporting a political or social cause by means such as social media or online petitions, characterized as involving very little effort or commitment. Additional forms of slacktivism include engaging in online activities such as "liking," "sharing," or "tweeting" about a cause on social media, signing an Internet petition, copying and pasting a status or message in support of the cause, sharing specific hashtags associat Cri... ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Peebles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/8 "2018-05-21T14:28:51Z")
Virtue Signaling? > **[Virtue signalling](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_signalling)** > > Virtue signalling is the expression of a moral viewpoint with the intent of communicating good character. > According to the Cambridge Dictionary, virtue signalling is "an attempt to show other people that you are a good person, for example by expressing opinions that will be acceptable to them, especially on social media... indicating that one has virtue merely by expressing disgust or favour for certain political ideas or cultural happenings". The expression is often used to imply by the user th... ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/9 "2018-05-21T14:42:56Z")
Tokenism: “A policy of formally complying with efforts to achieve a goal by making small, token gestures; especially to hire a minimal number of ethnically diverse or disadvantaged people.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-phenomenon-a-small-benevolence-removing-the-desire-to-do-something-more/814493/10 "2018-05-21T18:48:29Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > “Gave at the office?” When I was in college there was a tiny Trotskyite group on campus, the Spartacus Youth League. They sold a weekly newspaper which invariably had a headline like “Smash Reagan’s Anti-Soviet War Drive” or “Smash the Oppressive Capitalist State.” A friend of mine liked to walk by, shake his head and say, “Sorry. I smashed at the office.”