Social psychologists have found that people in good moods are ...

[bobypop]

Social psychologists have found that people in good moods are likely to help, as are people in bad moods. Of course, the reasons for these relations differ, depending on the mood. Explain.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

In a series of studies, Latan and Darley discovered that the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any individual will help. Why is that?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[katkat_flores]

Answer to Question 1

Answer: Good moods encourage helping because (1) people in good moods tend to look on the brighter side of life, and are less likely to make negative attributions about people who need help; (2) people savor good moods, and helping can help prolong them; and (3) good moods increase self-attention, and people are more likely to be aware of their values and ideals. Bad moods encourage helping for different reasons. People in bad moods are more likely to help because helping can serve to relieve negative moods such as sadness or distress; this is referred to as the negative state relief hypothesis.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: First, given the norm to remain cool and keep one's wits about one, other bystanders may inadvertently signal to others that the situation is more innocuous than it really is; this pluralistic ignorance might discourage an individual from helping because he or she erroneously assumes nothing is wrong. Second, diffusion of responsibility often results when there are many bystanders; the more bystanders, the less likely it is that any individual will feel personally responsible to help.