Love Doesn’t Run Out: Children and Adults Do Not View Social Resources as Inherently Zero-Sum

Abstract

It is not uncommon to witness individuals competing for social resources such as affection and status. Does this mean that people view social resources as inherently zero-sum—where gains for one person result in losses for another? Two preregistered studies found that U.S. adults and 4- to 9-year-old U.S. children did not view nonrival social resources (love and trust) or rival social resources (popularity and leadership) as zero-sum, both less zero-sum than material resources like stickers. Importantly, zero-sum thinking was not determined by the inherent properties of the resources but was influenced by renewability: Perceived renewability of resources predicted lower levels of zero-sum beliefs, and both social and material resources were perceived as less zero-sum when presented as renewable compared with nonrenewable. These findings shed light on the nature and origins of zero-sum beliefs, highlighting renewability as a key mechanism and a potential intervention for reducing competition and promoting cooperation.