Sport, Develops the Social Motivation and Empathy Relationship: Examining the Role of Gender

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences in Sport, Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Purpose: Understanding psychological and social factors such as communication, empathy, cohesion, etc., which influence successful sports performance, is one of the top priorities in applied sports psychology. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between empathy and social motivation in male and female athletes and non-athletes.
Methods: The Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES) and the Social Motivation Questionnaire (SMQ) were distributed online among students from various universities, and 153 completed questionnaires were analysed. Following data collection, correlations between empathy and social motivation scales were examined separately in male and female athlete and non-athlete groups using Pearson and Spearman correlation tests, considering data distribution.
Results: Results showed that in the male non-athlete group, only the Information Seeking subscale was significantly correlated with expressive empathy, whereas in male athletes, the Information Seeking subscale was significantly correlated with participatory empathy. In the female non-athlete group, a significant negative correlation was found between the Information Seeking subscale and empathy toward others. However, in female athletes, the Regulation of Emotion subscale was significantly correlated with emotional susceptibility, reactive empathy, expressive empathy, and participatory empathy.
Conclusion: The present findings support the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, particularly in the athlete group. Moreover, sport—regardless of type or experience—can be regarded as a context conducive to fostering healthy social behaviors.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 10 June 2025
  • Receive Date: 25 January 2025
  • Revise Date: 08 June 2025
  • Accept Date: 10 June 2025