On the other hand, this behavior can also be related to an education based on solidarity and humble values. Many people grow up in environments where they are taught not to feel superior to anyone, no matter the situation. Therefore, collaborating with those who are working is not perceived as something extraordinary, but as something natural. It’s a way of showing that we’re all the same and that, at some point, we might as well be on the other side.
However, psychology also analyzes the motivation behind these acts. Do you do it out of genuine kindness or to be seen as a good person? Some people may perform these types of actions seeking external validation or social approval. In these cases, the intention is not so much to relieve the work of the waiter, but to improve the image itself. This does not invalidate the gesture, but it does change its internal meaning. Positive psychology teaches that authentic altruistic acts have more lasting emotional benefits than those motivated by the desire for recognition.
In addition, there is a component of self-regulation and ego control. Helping to clear the table, being a customer, requires overcoming certain social schemes where it is expected that “the waiter serves and the customer receives”. Those who break with this pattern demonstrate a certain emotional maturity, are not guided by the need to feel superior or served, and maintain a more horizontal vision of the world
