Exam #2/ Chp #1/ Belonging & Attraction Flashcards
Why is belonging important?
- Strong, basic drive to form and maintain close social bonds
- Evolutionarily adaptive for humans: being able to function well in a group makes us better able to acquire resources, knowledge, and even physical protection that enhance survival
- Largest determinant of happiness and overall life satisfaction, across cultures
What is social isolation a predictor of?
poor physical and mental health
Lonely individuals have…
- Poorer sleep quality
- Higher rates of depression
- Lower immune function (higher rates of infections and slower wound healing)
- Higher rates of cardiovascular disease
- Higher rates of all cause mortality
What do we need to feel like we belong?
- Regular social contact with others (groups can satisfy that need) – e.g., “I have a group of people with whom I regularly spend time”
- Close, mutually caring relationships with others (friends and lovers) – e.g., “There are people close to me in whom I can confide”
- Most people have both, but there are gender differences
What are the gender differences in belonging?
- Men value group belonging more than women do, but value close relationships as much
- Women value close relationships more than they value groups
- THUS – Men need both to be non-lonely; women can “get by” with just close relationships
What can social exclusion/rejection lead to?
Agression
What can reduce aggressiveness from social rejection?
- However, in lab studies, even the smallest kindness (e.g., a kind word from the experimenter) wipes out post-rejection aggression (Twenge et al., 2007)
- Even thinking about the people who love you reduces aggressive and hostile thinking (Gardner et al., 2005
Physiological and emotional effects of rejection:
- Drop in mood and self-esteem (remember the sociometer?)
- “Hurt” feelings
Social pain & Physical pain
- Rejection activates the physical pain regions of the brain
- Social support (reduces social pain) reduces physical pain as well (Eisenberger et al,. 2011)
- Tylenol (vs. placebo) reduces social pain – less hurt feelings over 3 week period, less activity in pain regions following exclusion (DeWall et al., 2010)
Cognitive effects of rejection
- Drop in problem solving ability/IQ
- Drop in self-regulation (less restraint for indulgent items, less ability to make yourself do good things)
Why are cognitive effects apart of social rejection?
cognitive effects in part because resources are redirected toward potentially regaining acceptance/coping with rejection
What things are increased cognitively after reaction?
- Increased attention to and memory for social information
- Increased behavioral mimicry (because subtly mimicking the behavior of others increases their liking for us)
- Increased accuracy in identifying social cues (facial expressions and vocal tones) and increased empathic accuracy (guessing what others are feeling and thinking)
- Increased regulation of OTHERS’ emotional states
Who is most important for satisfying belonging needs?
Romantic partner
Levinger’s 5 stages of romantic relationships
A is for Attraction: B is for Building: C is for Continuance: D is for Deterioration: E is for Ending:
The College Dance Study
- 100s of single college students ‘set up’ with dates at a dance by psychologists. Rated their dates at an intermission. . . .researchers had measures of intelligence, peer-rated attractiveness, personality scales, value and attitude scales, and listings of goals, interests and hobbies
- physical attractiveness was the only trait to indicate a 2nd date