The current study aims to investigate the influence of one's sense of power on cooperative behavior,along with its associated boundary conditions.A total of 236 undergraduate participants were involved in the experiment.Initially,they were asked to recall a story that either portrayed a scenario of high or low sense of power.Subsequently,they completed assessments related to empathy and participated in public goods games to measure their cooperative behavior.The results showed that individuals with a high sense of power,in contrast to those with a low sense of power,exhibited less cooperative behavior.Furthermore,individuals with a high degree of empathy displayed a greater propensity for cooperative actions in comparison to individuals with lower empathy levels.Additionally,empathy was identified as a moderator in the relationship between one's sense of power and their cooperative behavior.More specifically,higher level of empathy would buffer the negative effect of sense of power on cooperative behavior.This discovery not only offers valuable insights into the roles of one's sense of power and empathy in social interactions,but also underscores the pivotal role of individual traits in shaping their behavioral responses.
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