Glen William Spiteri
Ph.D. candidate in Psychology, UCLA
I'm a Ph.D. student at UCLA researching moral judgment and decision-making. I am particularly intrigued by how altruistic decisions can be improved through systematic reflection.
Broadly, I ask the question: "How can we overcome the psychological barriers that impede our willingness to save and improve as many lives as possible, both now and in the future?"
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I am also an aspiring effective altruist and have been donating nearly 10% of my income annually since 2021.
Research Questions
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Why is charitable decision-making less rational than business decision-making? Can we overcome these obstacles to effective altruism?
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How will future generations react to current altruistic efforts? While intergenerational altruistic efforts may be strategic substitutes (high effort today may induce low effort tomorrow), is it also possible that current actions will set a precedent that future generations are inclined to follow?
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How can we measure long-term wellbeing?
Publications
Bonnici, T., Briguglio, M., & Spiteri, G. W. (2023). Humor Helps: An Experimental Analysis of Pro-Environmental Social Media Communication. Sustainability, 15(6), Article 6.
Briguglio, M., & Spiteri, G. (2022). Housing affordability: A focus on young people in Malta. In The Annual Malta Residential Study (2nd ed., pp. 45–59). Malta Housing Authority.