Chen, Daniel L. (2019) Law and literature: theory and evidence on empathy and guile. Review of Law and Economics, vol. 15 (n° 1).

Abstract

Legal theorists have suggested that literature stimulates empathy and affects moral judgment and decision-making. I present a model to formalize the potential effects of empathy on third parties. Empathy is modeled as having two components–sympathy (the decision-maker’s reference point about what the third party deserves) and emotional theory of mind (anticipating the emotions of another in reaction to certain actions). I study the causal effect with a data entry experiment. Workers enter text whose content is randomized to relate to empathy, guile, or a control. Workers then take the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and participate in a simple economic game. On average, workers exposed to empathy become less deceptive towards third parties. The result is stronger when workers are nearly indifferent. These results are robust to a variety of controls and model specifications.

Available Versions of this Item

• Does Empathy Beget Guile? Experimental Evidence. (deposited 25 Mar 2019 12:38)
  • Law and literature: theory and evidence on empathy and guile. (deposited 22 May 2018 08:50) [Currently Displayed]