Kill them with kindness: preliminary evidence for women's competitive altruism.

INTRODUCTION

We developed the Competitive Altruism Survey (CAS) to test how intrasexual competition (i.e., competitive altruism) relates to Machiavellianism, Big Five personality traits, social desirability, and impression management.

METHODS

A sample of 103 heterosexual cisgender women aged 18 to 45 years completed an online survey.

Results

Competitive altruism was strongly and positively related to Machiavellianism and negatively related to Agreeableness and was more used when directed at other women than at men. Neuroticism was correlated with anxiety and frustration that accompany strategic kindness, rather than to competitive altruism. Correlations with impression management and social desirability were unexpectedly negative; this pattern is open to several readings, one being openness about strategic intent. Open-ended responses converge with this interpretation, with women describing the strategic kindness they observe in others as occurring within workplace hierarchies, in publicized or social-media display, and in warmth that contradicts itself in private.

DISCUSSION: Our results offer preliminary self-report evidence, in a predominantly Western online sample, that women may use competitive altruism and generosity as strategies to gain a reputation in competition.