Social psychology - Page 2 of 28

The Simplest Way To Help Someone In Pain

It has incredible psychological and physiological power.

Holding someone’s hand is enough to reduce their pain and even synchronise breathing and heart rates, research finds.

Dr Pavel Goldstein, the study’s first author, said:

“The more empathic the partner and the stronger the analgesic effect, the higher the synchronization between the two when they are touching.”

The study is the latest in the area of interpersonal synchronisation.

This is how people’s physiological measures automatically synchronise to those who are around them.

People automatically synchronise their footsteps when walking together and mirror each other’s posture, studies have found.

It has even been shown that when people have a good rapport with each other their brain waves synchronise.

The new study was inspired by Dr Goldstein’s experience with his daughter’s birth:

“My wife was in pain, and all I could think was, ‘What can I do to help her?’ I reached for her hand and it seemed to help.

I wanted to test it out in the lab: Can one really decrease pain with touch, and if so, how?”

For the study couples were either sat together, not touching, sat together touching, or in different rooms.

Then the woman was subjected to some pain.

The results showed that just sitting together was enough to synchronise the couple’s heart rates and breathing.

However, the pain cut this synchronisation, unless the man was allowed to hold his partner’s hand.

Dr Goldstein said:

“It appears that pain totally interrupts this interpersonal synchronization between couples.

Touch brings it back.”

It is not yet clear exactly how holding hands is related is related to the pain-killing effect, Dr Goldstein said:

“It could be that touch is a tool for communicating empathy, resulting in an analgesic, or pain-killing, effect.”

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports (Goldstein et al., 2017).

This One Habit Is Ruining Your Social Life

Find out why you’re no longer enjoying time with friends.

Smartphones are killing the simple pleasure we can take from socialising.

Research finds that people enjoy socialising with friends and family more if they avoid using their smartphones.

Using smartphones during a dinner with friends led people to feel more distracted and to enjoy the experience less.

Surprisingly, people who used their smartphones during lulls in the conversation reported feeling more bored.

Score one point for old-fashioned conversation.

Mr Ryan Dwyer, the study’s first author, said:

“As useful as smartphones can be, our findings confirm what many of us likely already suspected.

When we use our phones while we are spending time with people we care about — apart from offending them — we enjoy the experience less than we would if we put our devices away.”

In the research 300 people went to dinner with friends and family at a restaurant.

Half were randomly assigned to keep their phones in their pocket, while the other half kept them on the table.

They were interviewed afterwards to see how much they had enjoyed the meal.

Mr Dwyer explained that people were slightly more bored with their phones out, which was surprising:

“We had predicted that people would be less bored when they had access to their smartphones, because they could entertain themselves if there was a lull in the conversation.”

Another study tested other situations by sending a group of over 100 people text messages five times a day to report how they were feeling and what they were doing.

Once again, people enjoyed socialising with others more if they were not using their phones as well.

Professor Elizabeth Dunn, study co-author, said:

“An important finding of happiness research is that face-to-face interactions are incredibly important for our day-to-day wellbeing.

This study tells us that, if you really need your phone, it’s not going to kill you to use it.

But there is a real and detectable benefit from putting your phone away when you’re spending time with friends and family.”

The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (Dwyer et al., 2017).

The Wonderful Human Behaviour That Is Highly Contagious

The contagious behaviour provides a significant boost to happiness.

Being nice to others is highly contagious, psychological research finds.

Someone who sees a person being prosocial is more motivated to perform their own act of kindness for another.

Things like running an errand for a neighbour, helping someone in the street or giving a present all tend to be imitated by others who see it.

An act of kindness can ultimately be tripled in value by people subsequently giving more and more.

Seeing other people benefit from kindnesses is an even more powerful motivator for our own prosocial behaviour than when we receive the kindness ourselves.

Nevertheless, acts of kindness are not wholly unselfish, they provide a small, but significant boost to happiness.

Indeed, helping others boost happiness more than helping yourself.

Cooperative behaviour is even more important right now, says Dr Haesung (Annie) Jung, the study’s first author:

“Just like the deadly virus, cooperative behavior can also be transmitted across people.

These findings remind the public that their behavior can impact what others around do; and the more individuals cooperate to stop the spread of the disease, the more likely others nearby will do the same.”

People do not just copy the prosocial behaviour they observe, though, said Dr Jung:

“We found that people can readily improvise new forms of prosocial actions.

They engaged in behaviors that were different from what they witnessed and extended help to different targets in need than those helped by the prosocial model.”

Asian countries have the strongest prosocial contagion effect, followed by European countries, then North America.

Modelling prosocial behaviour is important for tackling the pandemic, said Dr Marlone Henderson, study co-author:

“Many people may choose to avoid social distancing practices because they don’t think they’re likely to contract the virus or experience serious symptoms.

So, one of the best things we can do is frame recommended practices as prosocial actions.

By thinking of recommended practices as prosocial behavior, modeling then becomes a powerful tool for encouraging others to engage in such practices.”

The study was published in the journal Psychological Bulletin (Jung et al., 2020).

What Is Social Loafing? Causes, Examples, And How To Prevent It

Social loafing leads to decreased group productivity. Learn how to address this issue with simple strategies to boost accountability and performance.

What is social loafing?

Social loafing is a psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to exert less effort when they work in a group compared to when they work alone.

This tendency to “loaf” is typically seen when individuals feel that their contributions are less identifiable or crucial to the group’s success.

The term originated from studies in social psychology, with the most famous being the Ringelmann experiment in the early 20th century, which found that people pulled less hard on a rope when in a group than when they were alone.

Later studies, such as those by Latané et al. (1979), further developed the concept, suggesting that the reduction in effort is due to both coordination loss and motivation loss.

Coordination loss happens when individuals in a group fail to effectively align their efforts, while motivation loss occurs when individuals do not feel motivated to put in their best effort because others are sharing the workload.

Causes of Social Loafing

Social loafing doesn’t happen randomly.

Several factors contribute to why people may work less hard when part of a group.

Understanding these causes is essential to identifying and combating social loafing in various environments, including the workplace and educational settings.

1. Diffusion of Responsibility

One of the primary causes of social loafing is the diffusion of responsibility. When people work in groups, they often feel that their individual efforts are less important because the group as a whole is responsible for the outcome. This perception of shared responsibility diminishes personal accountability.
Example: In large group projects, individuals may feel their contributions will go unnoticed and that others will pick up the slack.

2. Group Size

The larger the group, the more likely individuals are to loaf. As group size increases, individual contributions tend to become less visible, leading to a reduction in effort. People in smaller groups are more likely to feel that their effort makes a difference.
Example: A group of two will likely show more individual effort than a group of ten, where it’s easier to blend into the background.

3. Lack of Accountability

When tasks are not clearly assigned or when individual performance is not monitored, social loafing is more likely to occur. Without accountability, individuals can engage in the task with minimal effort, knowing their specific contribution won’t be assessed.
Example: If in a work setting, team members are not held accountable for their specific parts of a project, they are more likely to underperform.

4. Low Motivation or Interest

Social loafing can occur when individuals are not motivated by the task at hand. If someone feels indifferent toward the task, they may not feel compelled to give their full effort, especially when they perceive the group will compensate for their lack of input.
Example: In an educational group project, students who find the subject boring may be more inclined to slack off, knowing that others might do the work.

Impact on Team Dynamics

Social loafing can have detrimental effects on team dynamics, leading to frustration and lower overall performance.

This can be particularly problematic in work environments where team collaboration is crucial for success.

1. Lower Productivity

One of the most obvious consequences of social loafing is lower productivity. When members of a group fail to give their best effort, the overall output of the team is compromised. Productivity decreases even further when more members begin to loaf.
Example: In a team of five working on a business proposal, if two members start contributing less, the project could fall behind or lack in quality.

2. Team Conflicts

Social loafing often leads to resentment among team members, particularly those who are contributing more than their fair share. This resentment can quickly escalate into team conflicts, with some members feeling that others are not pulling their weight.
Example: If one person consistently does most of the work, they may become frustrated with their colleagues, causing tension and breakdowns in communication.

3. Burnout

In situations where some individuals are putting in more effort to compensate for social loafers, there’s a high risk of burnout. Over time, these individuals may become exhausted and disengaged, which can lead to decreased productivity and higher turnover rates.
Example: In a work environment, if one or two team members consistently carry the bulk of the workload, they may burn out and seek employment elsewhere.

How to Prevent Social Loafing

Reducing social loafing requires intentional strategies from both team leaders and members.

By implementing specific practices, organisations and teams can encourage higher levels of engagement and individual accountability.

1. Break Down Large Groups into Smaller Teams

Smaller groups make it more difficult for individuals to hide behind the collective effort. Each person’s contribution becomes more noticeable, which encourages everyone to put in a fair share of effort.
Example: In a company setting, rather than assigning a project to a group of ten, break them into smaller teams of three or four for better results.

2. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities

Clearly defining individual roles and tasks reduces the ambiguity that often leads to social loafing. When people know exactly what they’re responsible for, they are more likely to feel accountable for their contributions.
Example: Before starting a group project, assign specific tasks to each team member and outline the expected outcomes for each person.

3. Regular Feedback and Performance Reviews

Holding regular check-ins where individual progress is reviewed can help prevent social loafing. Knowing that their performance will be evaluated pushes team members to stay engaged.
Example: A manager can meet weekly with each team member to discuss their contributions and provide feedback, creating a culture of accountability.

4. Encourage Group Cohesion

Teams that have strong interpersonal bonds are less likely to experience social loafing. When people feel connected to their team members, they are more inclined to contribute fully to group tasks.
Example: Companies can organise team-building activities to foster a sense of camaraderie and collaboration within teams.

5. Increase Task Importance

Studies have shown that when people think the task is important they do less loafing.
Example: Zacarro (1984) found that groups constructing ‘moon tents’ (don’t ask me!) worked harder if they thought the relevance of the task was high, thought they were in competition with another group and were encouraged to think the task was attractive.

6. Boost Group Importance

When the group is important to its members they work harder.
Example: Worchel et al. (1998) had people building paper chains in two groups, one which had name tags, matching coats and a sense of competition. Compared to a group given none of these, they produced 5 more paper chains.

Social Loafing in Remote and Virtual Teams

The rise of remote work and virtual teams has presented new challenges in managing social loafing.

Without the physical presence of others, it can be harder to monitor team members’ contributions.

1. Why Virtual Teams are Prone to Social Loafing

In virtual teams, there’s often less oversight, and it can be easy for individuals to appear busy without actually contributing much. The lack of direct supervision and casual social interaction may exacerbate social loafing.
Example: A remote worker may be less inclined to engage in a project if they believe their efforts aren’t being closely monitored.

2. Strategies for Managing Social Loafing in Virtual Teams

Use project management software to track individual contributions.
Hold regular video meetings to maintain personal connections and accountability.
Create smaller virtual sub-teams for specific tasks to encourage active participation.

Psychological Insights and Cultural Differences

The extent to which individuals engage in social loafing can vary based on personality traits and cultural background.

1. Personality Traits

Studies have shown that individuals high in conscientiousness and agreeableness are less likely to engage in social loafing. In contrast, those who score low in these traits may be more inclined to contribute less in group settings.
Example: A highly conscientious person may feel morally obligated to contribute fully to a project, while someone less conscientious may feel more comfortable shirking responsibility.

2. Cultural Variations

Research indicates that social loafing is less prevalent in collectivist cultures, where the emphasis is on the group’s success rather than individual achievement. In contrast, individualist cultures tend to exhibit higher levels of social loafing.
Example: In a workplace setting, team members from collectivist cultures may be more committed to group tasks, as they place a higher value on the group’s success.

Conclusion

Social loafing is a common phenomenon that can significantly impact team performance, productivity, and morale.

However, with the right strategies, it can be mitigated.

By fostering accountability, clarifying roles, and encouraging team cohesion, organisations can reduce the likelihood of social loafing and create more effective, high-performing teams.