The Influence of Attraction on a Simulated Commons Dilemma

A commons dilemma arises when individuals sharing a resource act according to their short-term interests, resulting in the long-term destruction of a renewable resource. This experiment was conducted to determine if interpersonal attraction impacts destructive commons dilemma behavior. Introductory psychology students (N = 135) participated in groups of three in a commons dilemma simulation. Using attitude similarity, four levels of interpersonal attraction were manipulated, ranging from very high to low to mixed attraction between group members. The results indicated that a high level of interpersonal mutual attraction improved harvesting efficiency, increased self-sacrificing, and extended the life of the commons. In addition, perceived trust among players increased as total harvests increased.