Empathy gap

Why Sharing Good Deeds Feels Bad

New research shows that people often feel worse when telling others about their good deeds than when keeping them private or discussing personal achievements. Across five studies, participants predicted more shame and embarrassment when sharing altruistic acts, partly because they feared appearing motivated by social credit. This “do-gooder dilemma” intensifies on social media, where reputational concerns loom larger. Interestingly, participants believed other people would feel far less negative about sharing similar good deeds, highlighting a mismatch between our own emotional expectations and how we imagine others feel. ….[READ]