Abstract:

Prosocial behavior is the positive behavior in interpersonal interaction that can benefit other people, groups and society. Prosocial behavior is considered as a critical way to help individuals gain happiness. However, not all kinds of prosocial behaviors can prompt people’s well-being. Only those prosocial behaviors that could satisfy individuals’ need of autonomy might increase the participants’ well-being in this prosocial interaction, and could promote interpersonal relationships. Specifically, the behavior agent can gain well-being through autonomous-motivated prosocial behavior; the recipient’s well-being not only is influenced by agent’s motivation, but also depends on the satisfaction of his own need of autonomy; and the bystander will participate in transmitting prosocial behavior forward after observing the behavioral and emotional outcomes in the interpersonal interaction as a potential agent or recipient.

Key words: prosocial behavior, well-being, autonomous motivation, autonomy, bystander