Scientists put 'Batman' on 138 subway rides and found people behaving differently
'Batman effect,' suggests an unexpected disruption break people's autopilot mode, encouraging more compassionate actions.
A study led by Francesco Pagnini, and published in November 2025, raised questions about instinctive altruistic behavior. Researchers deliberately put individuals dressed as 'Batman' on 138 subway rides in Milan, Italy, and found that it completely changed people's willingness to be good. The study found that in situations where people noticed the Batman, they were more altruistic or kind than those who didn't. This, they called the "Batman effect," suggesting that an unexpected disruption can break people's autopilot mode, encouraging more compassionate actions.
The research was conducted in the Milan underground metro system. The study was carried out using two different scenarios: In the control condition, a woman faking pregnancy with a prosthetic belly boarded the metro, while in the experimental condition, the woman with a person in a Batman costume got on the train. Researchers were mindful of triggering panic, so they had asked the person in a Batman costume not to cover his face entirely. Both experiments were conducted simultaneously on the subway 138 times. In 70 trips, the Batman wasn't present, while in the other 68, he was. Consequently, it was discovered that in situations where Batman wasn't present, about 38 out of 100 people offered their seats to the pregnant lady. But the number went as high as 67 out of 100 when Batman was present.
Later, when people were asked why they gave up their seats for the pregnant lady, most referred to social duty, good manners, etc. Surprisingly, when people who gave up their seats in the presence of the Batman were asked the same question, nearly half (44%) said they didn't even notice Batman at all. This means, only the presence of someone 'unexpected,' in this case, the 'Batman,' influenced people's altruistic behavior without them realizing it. Even though they weren't consciously thinking about the superhero character, his presence changed people's perspective about kindness. Pagnini correlated the "Batman effect" to support the notion that simple disruptions in routine increase awareness of the surroundings, and hence enhance our ability to cater to the needs of others.
The Batman effect: A female experimenter, appearing pregnant, boarded the train. In the experimental condition, an additional experimenter dressed as Batman entered from another door. Passengers were significantly more likely to offer their seat when Batman was present (67.21% vs. 37.66%).
byu/mvea inpsychology
Meanwhile, reacting to the study, u/funkygodzilla commented, "I would argue this would occur with any interesting thing present; it would (I would assume) kind of knock people out of this zombie social script mode and more into being present psychologically." u/nine-lifedenchanter shared, "I live in Sweden. During covid I saw Greta Thunberg at a bus stop. I felt like I had to follow social distancing and wear my mask even more, despite her not really talking about it. It was like I felt that I wanted to be better when someone I deem more moral than me was close." u/psych0pompos wrote, "People are strange. I wonder if this only happens with recognizable superheroes or if any strange costume resembling one would work. Though I grew up in NYC, and superhero costumes on the train weren't exactly unheard of, I never observed anything. When weird events are just normal, I can't imagine them having much of an effect."
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