Social Interaction Flashcards
The need to belong: evolutionary perspective
through evolution , certain psychological characteristics have been selected because they are beneficial for survival
early humans lived in small groups in difficult environments
adapted to be social and caring - more likely to grow, mature and reproduce > species is now characterised by being close to others, caring and seeking acceptance
The need to belong: health and wellbeing 4 main evidence
- social bonds are easy to form and difficult to break
- without relationships we suffer
- our need to belong can be satiated
- the need to belong is universal
- social bonds are easy to form and difficult to break
babies instantly form attachments
we have difficulty ending relatiosnhips
mortality and relationships
social support, social integration, and overall social relationships are a greater predictor of mortality than smoking, drinking, and obesity
perception of how your life is is far more important than reality
e.g. marriage in general does not predict but being in a happy marriage predicted higher heart attack survival than an unhappy marriage
- without relationships we suffer
rejection hurts = pain, reduced wellbeing and intellectual functioning
social factors predict health and mortality
- The need to belong can be satiated
we have a limited no. of friends, 6 is enough for people to stop making an effort to make new friends - Wheeler and Nezleck
people spend less time with friends when in a romantic relationship - social interaction needs are fulfilled
- the need to belong is universal
the need to belong does not seem culture-specific based on reviewed evidence
The quality of relationships matters
pleasant daily social interactions are associated with greater life satisfaction - Sun
10% happiest people are highly social and have the strongest, most satisfying and fulfilling relationships
weak ties
strangers, people we do not know very well
interacting with weak ties can make us happier and induce a greater sense of belonging
weak ties research
barista = happier and greater sense of belonging
bus driver = happier
why do weak ties make us happier
- help us to recognise the value of others and feel connected
- others typically feel happy and respond positively
THEY MAKE US FEEL GOOD
barriers/underestimation to interacting with weak ties
we underestimate:
- how happy the target will feel
- how much people like us after a conversation
- positive effects and expressions of gratitude
relational diversity definition
the richness and evenness of relationship types across one’s social interactions
relational diversity
more people = more interactions –> good as we already know
diversity has its own benefits too
attraction definition
evaluating another person positively - not just romantic
we are often attracted to people whose presence is rewarding
3 forces that attract
reciprocity
similarity
familiarity (proximity)
reciprocity
we like people who like us
we like others more after knowing that they like us - even MORE so if they like us especially, not just like everyone
similarity
we like people who are like us, especially when they have similar backgrounds (race, age, education), interests and attitudes/values - Hampton 2019
–> we understand ourselves and they are like us so we understand them
–> they want to do the same things as us
–> trust them more - Singh 2017
–> assured that they will enjoy spending time w us and like us - Hampton 2019
similarity doe not always matter e.g. with..
PERSONALITY
actual traits like:
agreeableness, conscientiousness and emotional stability matter more than similarity on traits - Weidman 2017
BECAUSE
these traits generally make it more enjoyable to interact with people - Watson 2014
Perceived vs actual similarity
- perceived similarity makes people like each other more than actual similarity - Tidwell 2013
- it increases the more relationships progress - Goel 2010
- outsides may see actual DISsimilarities and wrongly conclude that opposites attract
Familiarity (proximity)
- the people who you see and interact with the most —> most likely to become friends/romantic partners
friends are merely the people who got their first (Sir Peter Ustinov)
Familiarity: MIT housing study
Festinger et al 1950
studies physical proximity + friendship formation
- students were randomly assigned to 1 of 17 buildings in a housing complex on campus
- asked who are your 3 closest friends?
- despite 1 building representing 5% of residents - 65% had at least one friend who lived in their own building - most of which were next door !!!1
ME BEN ELLA
How does familiarity work?
- increased opportunity to meet people who live close
- we tend to like things that we are repeatedly exposed to more, and they become more similar to us = mere exposure effect
LIMIT: initial disliking breeds contempt after further exposure - Norton 2013
Interpersonal gap
gap between what the sender intends to communicate and what the listener perceives
i.e., someone thinks you said something and you are certain you said something else (+ visa versa)
common
The sender
- we have private knowledge on what we wish to convey –> we turn this into verbal and non-verbal behaviours
- interference - aspects that can affect how these actions are perceived e.g. tone (mood), social skills, distractions
interference
aspects that can affect how these actions are perceived e.g. tone (mood), social skills, distractions