Weird 'Batman effect' makes people kinder on crowded trains

When a man in a Batman suit stepped onto a busy Milan subway, passengers suddenly became far more likely to give up their seats to a woman who looked pregnant. In that situation, about 67 percent of riders chose to stand so she could sit.

The experiment took place on a real train in Milan’s underground system and investigated how ordinary commuters behaved in a daily rush-hour setting. 

The researchers tested a simple question: Can one unexpected sight shake people out of autopilot and make them notice someone who needs help?

Kindness tested on a train

In the new study, psychologists set out to test how a surprise on the train would affect peoples’ willingness to help. They focused on prosocial behavior, voluntary actions meant to help other people.

The work was led by Francesco Pagnini, a professor of clinical psychology at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCDSC). His research focuses on how awareness of the present moment links to health and everyday choices.

To keep things realistic, the team used a quasi-experimental design, a real-world comparison of conditions without full random assignment, on everyday subway rides. 

Enter Batman on the train

In one situation, an experimenter wearing a fake pregnancy belly boarded with a silent observer.

In another condition, the “pregnant” woman boarded along with a costumed Batman who stood about ten feet (3 meters) away but never interacted with her.

Each version of the scene played out only when all of the seats in the car were taken, and just a few people were standing. 

Observers noted whether anyone offered a seat, then briefly interviewed helpers about why they moved and whether the passengers had even noticed the superhero.

Batman boosts passenger kindness

To analyze the yes or no choice of standing up, the team used logistic regression – a statistical method for predicting yes or no outcomes.

Passengers in the train with Batman were over three times more likely to offer a seat than passengers in the regular ride.

The researchers’ model produced an odds ratio – a number that shows how much more likely an event is – of about 3.4 for the Batman condition. Among those who did stand, roughly 44 percent later said they had not noticed Batman at all.

These patterns suggest that the costume did more than entertain the people staring directly at it.

Instead, the odd sight may have disrupted the whole car’s shared routine, nudging attention toward what was happening around them.

Awareness shapes choices

Psychologists often study mindfulness, a style of paying open, nonjudgmental attention to what is happening right now. 

One large review that pooled 31 separate studies found that mindfulness is linked with small to medium boosts in helping behavior across many samples.

A recent research project involving more than two thousand medical students found that people who are more mindful in daily life report more helping, especially when they also see themselves as strongly moral. 

Those findings hint that awareness and values can work together to support kinder choices rather than pulling alone.

Disruption in routines and social cues

Mindfulness does not instantly turn anyone into a hero, and effects in the lab are often modest. Some training programs work better than others, and people vary a lot in how much they use these skills outside a quiet practice room.

In Milan’s subway cars, though, riders received no breathing exercises, no apps, and no instructions about awareness. 

That makes it striking that a simple disruption to routine seemed to create a brief window where social cues, like a pregnant belly, were more likely to break through.

“Our findings are similar to those of previous research linking present-moment awareness (mindfulness) to greater prosociality,” said Pagnini.

The influence of superheroes

Psychologists sometimes talk about social priming, subtle cues that activate certain ideas and gently steer behavior.

Classic superhero experiments showed that students briefly reminded of superheroes later volunteered about twice as many hours for community service as students in a neutral condition.

In the Milan metro study, Batman might have worked in a similar way by calling up images of protecting the vulnerable and standing up for others.

For some passengers, that symbol could have made norms about helping pregnant people feel especially relevant in that moment.

This kind of jolt fits with the pique technique, a persuasion strategy that uses odd requests to interrupt automatic refusal. 

Making the train ride feel less routine

In classic street studies, unusual requests, such as asking for 3.17 dollars instead of three, sometimes pulled people out of a mindless “no” and made them think more carefully about saying yes.

Researchers in Milan were careful not to claim that Batman alone magically changed people’s morals. Any unfamiliar but safe figure, from a clown to a mime, might have had a similar impact by making the ride feel less routine.

“Finally, it is also possible that the superhero figure enhanced the relevance of cultural values, gender roles, and norms of chivalrous help,” noted Pagnini.

Batman inspires kindness

Another potential explanation suggested by the team is social contagion – the spread of behavior through groups as people copy what they see. 

Online experiments with strangers have shown that receiving help can make people more likely to “pay it forward,” while simply watching plenty of others help sometimes reduces the feeling that one’s own effort is needed.

On a subway car, one person’s choice to give up a seat can ripple outward. Even riders who never noticed Batman may have seen a neighbor stand and felt a quiet nudge to follow that example.

Designers of public spaces sometimes try to encourage courtesy using posters or announcements, but people learn to ignore those signals.

Small, live surprises may reach them in a different way, by changing what feels normal for a moment.

Ideas for kindness in cities

Designers and city leaders could use this work to think creatively about “positive disruptions” that highlight people who need help, without shaming anyone. 

Actors, street performers, or unexpected art in buses and trains might make commuters look up from their phones long enough to notice others.

However, any attempt to use surprise as a tool should be tested carefully, just as this experiment was, to make sure it encourages kindness rather than confusion.

The Batman study does not say everyone should dress as a superhero on their next commute.

Instead, it suggests that gentle breaks in routine can reveal how ready many people already are to be generous, once something snaps them out of habit.

Taken together, the findings show that a single costumed rider can shift the social climate of a train car, at least for a few minutes, and make kindness seem like the obvious choice.

The study is published in npj Mental Health Research.

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