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Why we sometimes hate the good guy
Published: July 25, 2018 6:58pm EDT
Everyone is supposed to cheer for good guys. We’re supposed to honour heroes, saints and anyone who helps others, and we should only punish the bad guys. And that’s what we actually do, right?

Well, sometimes.

Most of the time, we do indeed reward co-operators. We also often punish unco-operative people who harm others, who aren’t good team players or who freeload on the hard work of others. But sometimes the good guys also get punished or criticized, specifically because they are so good.

Why would anyone punish or criticize someone for being good? This seems puzzling, because it brings down group co-operation. However, it is no anomaly.

This punishment of good co-operators has been discovered in multiple fields, including experimental economics, social psychology and anthropology, where it is variously called “antisocial punishment” or “do-gooder derogation.”

Co-operation and punishment are often studied using economic games with real money, where people can either co-operate or be selfish, and can pay to “punish” others for their actions.

While most punishment in these studies is directed at unco-operative group members, approximately 20 per cent of all punishment is directed at the most co-operative group members. Furthermore, while the rates of antisocial punishment vary, it has been found in every society where it has been investigated. Researchers are at a loss to explain why antisocial punishment exists.
“You’re making me look bad!”

Our research suggests a simple reason why we sometimes hate the good guy: They make us look bad by comparison. Many of us have heard of people saying: “Stop working so hard, you’re making the rest of us look bad.”
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