Abstract: Intergenerational dilemma refers to situations that involve conflicts between one's current self-interest and the interest of others in the future. How people make decisions in such situations can affect other individuals, organizations, and even the welfare of all human beings. Compared to social dilemmas, intergenerational dilemmas are characterized by three unique features: power asymmetry, lack of direct reciprocity, and longer psychological distance. These features are the key reasons why the level of intergenerational cooperation tends to be low. Based on the three main factors-personality traits, decision contexts, and social norms-that influence intergenerational cooperation, we propose that intergenerational cooperation could be promoted by cultivating gratitude and prosocial traits, increasing the reputational benefits of intergenerational cooperation, promoting affinity with future generations, and reducing perceived uncertainty of future outcomes. We suggest that future research should further examine the ecological validity of extant research paradigms and how reputation cues and sociocultural variables affect intergenerational cooperation, providing better support for making policies that promote intergenerational cooperation.

代际困境反映了当前自我利益与未来他人利益之间发生冲突的情境.人们在代际困境中如何权衡利益事关个体、组织乃至全人类的福祉.相比于传统社会困境,代际困境具有权力不对称、合作行为无直接回报和心理距离较远这三个特异性特征,它们是阻碍代际合作的主要原因.基于当前研究广泛关注的个人特质、决策情境和社会规范这三类影响代际合作的因素,本文建议可通过培养感恩与亲社会品质、扩大代际合作的声誉影响、提高与未来世代的亲近度、减少对未来结果的不确定感等方式促进代际合作行为.未来研究需进一步探究研究范式的生态效度,揭示声誉线索对代际合作的影响,并广泛开展跨文化研究,为促进代际合作行为提供更有力的理论和实践依据.

资助基金： 中国科学院心理研究所科研项目 ( Y5CX052003 ) 中国科学院心理研究所科研项目 ( E2CX3315CX ) 中国科学院心理研究所科研项目 ( E1CX0230 ) 国家自然科学基金 ( 32171074 )