Exposure to altruism quotes and tipping behavior in a restaurant

Céline Jacob (1) , Nicolas Guéguen (1) , Renzo Ardiccioni (2) , Cécile Sénémeaud (3)

1 UBS Vannes - Université de Bretagne Sud - Vannes
2 UM - Le Mans Université
3 NIMEC - Normandie Innovation Marché Entreprise Consommation

Some studies have shown that exposure to fortuitous information can influence individuals' behavior. In this study, customers in two restaurants were exposed, or not, to an altruism-related quote written on their bill. A significant increase in tipping behavior was found from both male and female patrons who had been exposed to the altruism quotes. Activation spreading theory was used to explain these results.

Keywords: Altruism quotes; Priming; Restaurant; Tipping

Domains: Humanities and Social Sciences; Business administration

Céline Jacob, Nicolas Guéguen, Renzo Ardiccioni, Cécile Sénémeaud. Exposure to altruism quotes and tipping behavior in a restaurant. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2013, 32 (1), pp.299-301. ⟨10.1016/j.ijhm.2012.03.003⟩. ⟨hal-02180719⟩