Match-Fixing Causing Harm to Athletes on a COVID-19-Influenced Gambling Market: A Call for Research During the Pandemic and Beyond

Match-fixing, although not a new problem, has received growing attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been reported in the media to have increased the risk of match-fixing events. Gambling is a well-documented addictive behavior, and gambling-related fraud, match-fixing, is a challenge to the world of sports. Most research on match-fixing has a judicial or institutional perspective, and few studies focus on its individual consequences. Nevertheless, athletes may be at particular risk of mental health consequences from the exposure to or involvement in match-fixing. The COVID-19 crisis puts a spotlight on match-fixing, as the world of competitive sports shut down or changed substantially due to pandemic-related restrictions. We call for research addressing individual mental health and psycho-social correlates of match-fixing, and their integration into research addressing problem gambling, related to the pandemic and beyond.

Social correlates of variation in urinary oxytocin concentrations of mantled howler monkeys Alouatta palliata (Gray, 1849) (Primates: Atelidae): A preliminary assessment

There is growing evidence that non-human primate sociality is linked to proximate neuroendocrine mechanisms. Arginine vasopressin, endorphins, and oxytocin may be involved in such mechanisms. Here, we perform a preliminary analysis of the social correlates of variation in urinary oxytocin concentrations in mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). From January to December 2017, we studied 13 adult mantled howler monkeys belonging to two groups. We recorded the occurrence of social interactions (547.5 observation hours); assessed proximity among group members (2,194 instantaneous recordings); and collected 172 urine samples. Urine samples were assayed (ELISA) for oxytocin concentrations, which were corrected for specific gravity, resulting in 54 analyzed samples. Hormone concentrations increased by approximately 62% when individuals were involved in affiliative interactions. With respect to when no affiliative interactions occurred, urinary oxytocin concentrations were higher when dyads with a low-quality social relationship affiliated. These results agree with previous contentions that this hormone is linked to participation in affiliative interactions. Convergence between these and results from other taxa supports the hypothesis that the biological mechanisms that allow for primate sociality are shared among species.

Belief in Altruistic Motives Predicts Prosocial Actions and Inferences

Are humans ever truly altruistic? Or are all actions, however noble, ultimately motivated by self-interest? Psychologists and philosophers have long grappled with this question, but few have considered laypeople’s beliefs about the nature of prosocial motives. Here we examine these beliefs and their social correlates across two experiments (N = 445). We find that people tend to believe humans can be, and frequently are, altruistically motivated—echoing prior work. Moreover, people who more strongly believe in altruistic motives act more prosocially themselves—for instance, sacrificing greater amounts of money and time to help others—a relationship that holds even when controlling for trait empathy. People who believe in altruistic motives also judge other prosocial agents to be more genuinely kind, especially when agents’ motives are ambiguous. Lastly, people independently show a self-serving bias—believing their own motives for prosociality are more often altruistic than others’. Overall, this work suggests that believing in altruistic motives predicts the extent to which people both see altruism and act prosocially, possibly reflecting the self-fulfilling nature of such lay theories.