Social Distance and Affection: A Negative, Negative Correlation

Abstract Altruistic behavior is a function of social distance, but why do individuals put others at a particular distance? Social distance is a multidimensional concept, and affection is one of its dimensions. This study evaluated whether there is a negative correlation between social distance and an affection rating. As the affection report allowed the participants to give negative valuations to the people on the list, the study also evaluated whether participants gave negative values to distant people. Colombian University students and young professionals created a social distance list with a variation of the open-field procedure. Then, they gave the people on the list an affection rating between -100 and 100. We found a negative correlation between the positions on the social distance list and the affection ratings. Participants gave affection similarly to how most participants in social discounting research give money, discounting hyperbolically. Furthermore, some participants gave negative affection ratings to distant people on the list. Affection partially explains why individuals put others on a social distance list in different positions.