Increased Generosity Correlated with More Significant Challenges in Social Interaction, Communication, and Attention Switching
A recent German study suggests that adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit greater generosity towards unfamiliar individuals compared to their neurotypical counterparts. The authors analyzed into the concept of “social discounting,” where individuals are typically less generous to those socially distant from them. They recruited 53 adults aged 20 to 47, including 28 with ASD and 25 neurotypical individuals, tasking them with distributing money among imagined recipients at varying social distances. In scenarios involving gains or losses, adults with ASD displayed more consistent generosity regardless of social distance. They were less influenced by framing the task as a gain or loss for themselves. Interestingly, the study found that more significant difficulties in social interaction and communication, along with attention switching, correlated with increased generosity in individuals with ASD. These findings suggest that autism may offer a unique perspective on rational decision-making, with implications for understanding both the challenges and potential prosocial aspects associated with the disorder.
