this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2025
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Folks, we have some revolutionary sociological research to share with you today.

After making a guy dressed as Batman stand around in a subway car, a team of researchers found that the behavior of people around him suddenly improved the moment he showed up. No longer was everyone completely self-involved; with the presence of a superhero, commuters started helping each other more than they would’ve without him around.

Behold: the “Batman effect.”

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[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Prior research had shown that just icons of eyes would help compliance; I guess it sort of reminds people others can see their behaviour.

This research seems an extension of that... and I am enjoying it