Isen, A. M., &Levin, P. F. (1972). Effect of feeling good on helping: Cookies and kindness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 21(3), 384-388.

Investigated the effects of a person’s positive affective state on his or her subsequent helpfulness to others. “Feeling good” was induced (a) in 52 male undergraduates by having received cookies while studying in a library (Study I), and (b) in 24 female and 17 male adults by having found a dime in the coin return of a public telephone (Study II). In Study I, where the dependent measure involved volunteering in reply to a student’s request, a distinction was made between specific willingness to help and general willingness to engage in any subsequent activity. In Study II, the dependent measure was whether Ss spontaneously helped to pick up papers that were dropped in front of them. On the basis of previous research, it was predicted that Ss who were thus made to “feel good” would be more helpful than control Ss. Results support the predictions

 

 

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0032317