Mind & behavior · 2009
Can signals of a lower risk of rejection help people who expect social interactions to go badly act more warmly?
Yes. In an experiment, signals that reduced the risk of rejection increased warm, friendly behavior among participants with pessimistic social expectations and, through that behavior, improved their social outcomes. The abstract does not describe the comparison condition or report how large the effects were.
Details
The researchers tested an idea about how expectations might shape acceptance by others: expecting acceptance could encourage warm, friendly behavior that helps people gain acceptance, while expecting rejection could encourage cold behavior that leads to less acceptance. This was the proposed explanation, not a claim that actual rejection always makes people behave coldly.
Two separate studies supported this account. In a correlational study, warm and friendly behavior was a strong link between expectations and acceptance when assessed against four other possible explanations. That association alone cannot establish cause and effect.
In the experiment, situational signals that reduced rejection risk increased warmth among participants who expected social interactions to go badly, which in turn improved their social outcomes. This supports warmth as one way expectations can shape interactions. The abstract does not specify the signals, comparison condition, participant characteristics or effect sizes, leaving the size and broader applicability of the benefit uncertain.
What do you think?
Good conversations begin with curiosity.
You can read comments without an account. Sign in to write.
Loading comments…