Illustration of the Care and Power motives at a crossroads.

Can a 'Care' Motive Change How You Make Decisions? Unpacking the Science of Kindness, Power, and Choice

Lena Voss in Mind & Education August 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research reveals how our built-in motivations for care and power shape our financial decisions, with surprising results."

Have you ever wondered what truly guides your decisions, especially when money is involved? Do you act out of pure self-interest, or are other factors at play? Traditional economic models often assume we make choices based on stable preferences. But what if our deeply ingrained motivations—like the urge to care for others or the desire for power—are the real drivers behind our actions?

A fascinating new study published in Scientific Reports delves into this very question. Researchers explored how two core psychological motives, 'Care' and 'Power,' influence our economic decision-making. The findings challenge conventional wisdom, suggesting that our choices are far more nuanced than we might think. They also offers compelling insights into the often-complex interplay of cooperation, punishment, and human behavior.

This article will unpack the key findings of this research, explaining how the induced Care and Power can dramatically shift our financial choices. We'll explore the implications for understanding cooperation, punishment, and how our motivations shape the world around us.

The Core Drivers: Exploring 'Care' and 'Power' in the Human Psyche

Illustration of the Care and Power motives at a crossroads.

At the heart of this research are two fundamental psychological motivators: the 'Care' motive and the 'Power' motive. The 'Care' motive, rooted in our innate drive to help others, fosters cooperation and generosity. Think of it as the nurturing instinct that drives us to support our loved ones and, by extension, our communities. This motive encompasses empathy, compassion, and the desire to build strong relationships.

On the other hand, the 'Power' motive is driven by the desire for status, control, and influence. It’s the force behind our ambition, our pursuit of leadership roles, and our desire to make an impact on the world. While often viewed negatively, the Power motive can also be a catalyst for achievement and positive change. The study sought to understand how these different drives shape our choices in economic settings.

Care: Motivation to help others, foster cooperation, and build relationships.
Power: Desire for status, control, and influence; drives ambition and leadership.

To understand how these motives affect behavior, researchers used clever experimental techniques. Participants were subtly primed to experience either a 'Care' or a 'Power' mindset before engaging in economic games. The results were striking, revealing that these seemingly simple prompts could profoundly alter their choices.

The Takeaway: Understanding the Motives Behind Our Choices

This groundbreaking research provides a powerful reminder: our financial decisions are not always as rational or self-serving as we might assume. By understanding the influence of motives like Care and Power, we gain a richer, more human-centered understanding of the forces that shape our choices. This knowledge can help us build more cooperative communities, design more effective economic policies, and ultimately, make more informed decisions in our own lives.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1038/s41598-017-11580-8, Alternate LINK

Title: Caring Cooperators And Powerful Punishers: Differential Effects Of Induced Care And Power Motivation On Different Types Of Economic Decision Making

Subject: Multidisciplinary

Journal: Scientific Reports

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: G. Chierchia, F. H. Parianen Lesemann, D. Snower, M. Vogel, T. Singer

Published: 2017-09-11

Everything You Need To Know

How do 'Care' and 'Power' motives specifically influence financial decisions?

The 'Care' motive, which is our innate drive to help others, generally fosters cooperation and generosity in financial decisions. Individuals driven by 'Care' may be more inclined to share resources or invest in collective well-being. Conversely, the 'Power' motive, which is the desire for status and control, can lead to decisions that prioritize personal gain or competitive advantage. While the specific impact depends on the context, priming individuals with these motives can significantly shift their financial choices away from purely self-interested actions.

What are the potential implications of understanding the 'Care' motive in economic policies?

Understanding the 'Care' motive can help in designing economic policies that foster cooperation and social welfare. By appealing to people's inherent desire to help others, policies can be structured to encourage prosocial behavior, such as increased charitable giving, investment in public goods, or support for social safety nets. Recognizing and leveraging the 'Care' motive can lead to more effective and equitable economic outcomes by promoting a sense of shared responsibility and mutual support.

How can the 'Power' motive drive positive change, rather than just being seen as a negative influence?

The 'Power' motive, while often associated with negative traits like greed or dominance, can also be a strong driver of positive change. When individuals are motivated by a desire for status, control, and influence, they may also be driven to achieve ambitious goals, take on leadership roles, and make a significant impact on the world. This can lead to innovation, progress, and the implementation of beneficial policies. Harnessing the 'Power' motive for good requires channeling it toward constructive outcomes that benefit society as a whole.

What experimental techniques were used to prime participants with 'Care' and 'Power' mindsets, and why is this priming important?

The specific experimental techniques used to prime participants with 'Care' and 'Power' mindsets aren't explicitly detailed, but researchers likely employed subtle prompts or scenarios designed to activate these psychological motives. Priming is important because it allows researchers to isolate and examine the influence of 'Care' and 'Power' on decision-making, independent of other factors. By subtly inducing these mindsets, researchers can observe how individuals' choices change when these motives are made more salient, providing valuable insights into the underlying drivers of human behavior.

In what ways does this research challenge traditional economic models of decision-making?

This research challenges traditional economic models that often assume individuals make decisions based on stable, self-interested preferences. By demonstrating the significant influence of the 'Care' and 'Power' motives, it suggests that our choices are far more nuanced and context-dependent than previously thought. Traditional models often fail to account for the complex interplay of psychological factors that shape our behavior, particularly the impact of deeply ingrained social and emotional motivations. Recognizing the role of 'Care' and 'Power' provides a more realistic and human-centered understanding of economic decision-making, highlighting the importance of factors beyond pure rationality.