Antisocial behavior in experiments: What have we learned from the past two decades?

Antisocial behavior experiments, both conducted in the laboratory or in the field, have become commonplace in the experimental economics literature. Such experiments found their relevance in the real world as people are not always selfish or nice to others, but they also sometimes behave spitefully. This paper focuses on payoff-destruction experiments conducted over the last two decades and synthesizes the findings. We are able to find 46 studies where we found inequity reduction and pure spite as the main motives for such behavior. This behavior can also be explained by conflict experience. We conclude with suggestions for future research. © 2023 University of Venice