Residential mobility moderates preferences for egalitarian versus loyal helpers

The present research examines whether the experience and the expectation of residential mobility related to the type of helpers whom people wanted to befriend and work with. We predicted and found that people who moved more frequently before college (Studies 1 and 2) preferred those who were likely to extend a helpful hand to those outside their immediate social circles. By contrast, people who had not moved preferred those who prioritized helping in-group members over strangers. Study 3 tested the hypothesis by priming the expectation of residential mobility versus stability and replicated the findings with residential mobility but did not find difference in the stability condition. These results suggest that residential mobility does not merely change people's living environments but also affects interpersonal preferences and with whom people would like to associate.

► We examine how residential mobility relates to preferences for the type of helpers.
► Movers prefer others who would help friends and strangers equally.
► Non-movers prefer those who would help friends over strangers.
► Priming the expectation of residential mobility yielded similar results.
► Residential mobility affects interpersonal preferences through pro-social behavior.