Does Guilt Motivate Prosocial Behavior at the Expense of Others? Preregistered Replications and Exploratory Statistical Modeling

Guilt is recognized as a social and moral emotion that drives prosocial behavior, typically through actions to repair relationships with victims, often at a personal cost. Prior research has yielded mixed results regarding compensatory behavior: In some instances, guilt prompted individuals to redirect resources away from unrelated others (observed in the Netherlands) or from themselves (observed in Romania and Japan) to compensate the victim. This study aimed to address these inconsistencies through two preregistered replication experiments, examining the role of relational mobility as a potential moderating factor across different cultural contexts. Contrary to initial findings, our results from Experiment 1 in Japan (n = 254), Experiment 2 in Japan and the Netherlands (n = 263 and 300, respectively), and an exploratory statistical modeling revealed a consistent pattern where guilt led to compensation directed at the victim, sacrificing own resources, irrespective of the country or levels of perceived relational mobility.