Leaving a Legacy: Intergenerational Allocations of Benefits and Burdens

In six experiments, we investigated the role of resource valence in intergen- erational attitudes and allocations. We found that, compared to bene! ts, allocating burdens intergenerationally increased concern with one's legacy, heightened ethical concerns, intensi! ed moral emotions (e.g., guilt, shame), and led to feelings of greater responsibility for and af! nity with future generations. We argue that, because of greater concern with legacies and the associated moral implications of one's decisions, allocating burdens leads to greater intergenerational generosity as compared to bene! ts. Our data provide support for this effect across a range of contexts. Our results also indicate that the differential effect of bene! ts versus burdens in intergenerational contexts depends on the presence of two important structural characteristics that help enact concerns about legacies, including (1) future impact of decisions, and (2) a self-other tradeoff. Overall, our ! ndings highlight how considering resource valence brings to the fore a number of key psychological characteristics of intergenerational decisions—especially as they relate to legacies and ethics. In 1888, following his brother's death, Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was read- ing what was supposed to be his brother's obituary in a French newspaper. Nobel realized that the newspaper editor had confused the two brothers and consequently had written an obituary for Alfred instead. The headline proclaimed, "The Merchant of Death is Dead!" describing a man who had gained his wealth by helping people to kill one another. Nobel was deeply troubled and it is believed that this glimpse of what might have been his nega- tive legacy was pivotal in motivating him to leave nearly his entire fortune following his actual death eight years later to fund annual awards, the Nobel Prizes, for those whose work most bene! ted humanity.