Interaction of natural survival instincts and internalized social norms exploring the Titanic and Lusitania disasters


Autoria(s): Frey, Bruno; Savage, David A.; Torgler, Benno
Data(s)

16/03/2010

Resumo

To understand human behavior, it is important to know under what conditions people deviate from selfish rationality. This study explores the interaction of natural survival instincts and internalized social norms using data on the sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania. We show that time pressure appears to be crucial when explaining behavior under extreme conditions of life and death. Even though the two vessels and the composition of their passengers were quite similar, the behavior of the individuals on board was dramatically different. On the Lusitania, selfish behavior dominated (which corresponds to the classical homo oeconomicus); on the Titanic, social norms and social status (class) dominated, which contradicts standard economics. This difference could be attributed to the fact that the Lusitania sank in 18 minutes, creating a situation in which the short-run flight impulse dominates behavior. On the slowly sinking Titanic (2 hours, 40 minutes), there was time for socially determined behavioral patterns to re-emerge. To our knowledge, this is the first time that these shipping disasters have been analyzed in a comparative manner with advanced statistical (econometric) techniques using individual data of the passengers and crew. Knowing human behavior under extreme conditions allows us to gain insights about how varied human behavior can be depending on differing external conditions.

Formato

application/pdf

Identificador

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/38016/

Publicador

National Academy of Sciences

Relação

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/38016/1/c38016.pdf

DOI:10.1073/pnas.0911303107

Frey, Bruno, Savage, David A., & Torgler, Benno (2010) Interaction of natural survival instincts and internalized social norms exploring the Titanic and Lusitania disasters. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(11), pp. 4862-4865.

Direitos

Copyright 2010 National Academy of Sciences

Fonte

QUT Business School; School of Economics & Finance

Palavras-Chave #140104 Microeconomic Theory #140206 Experimental Economics #140299 Applied Economics not elsewhere classified #170202 Decision Making #Tragic events and disatsers #Survival #Decisions under Pressure #Altruism and Self-Interest
Tipo

Journal Article