Using self-determination theory to link empathy and voluntary health behaviors

Health research demonstrates that prosocial health behaviors, while typically voluntarily, can be influenced by dispositional empathy. However, the motivating circumstances regarding this link between empathy and prosocial health behavior have not been well understood. Self-determination theory provides a framework for motivating voluntary behavior. Three preregistered studies (n_total = 630) sought to integrate self-determination's autonomous and controlled motivation to protect vulnerable populations from illness as potential mediators associated with dispositional empathy and face mask wearing behavior (Studies 1 and 2), and flu vaccination (Study 3). Results demonstrate that autonomous motivation positively mediates the empathy-prosocial health behavior pathway whereas controlled motivation does not. Findings postulate the importance of identifying motivation in predicting face mask behavior and flu vaccination.