The Science of the Social Side of Life

Chapter 1 Social Psychology The Science of the Social Side of Life Learning Objectives 1.1 Evaluate the diverse topics that social psychology seeks to understand 1.2 Examine the major avenues that social psychology is currently exploring 1.3 Understand the methods social psychologists use to gain insight into the questions posed 1.4 Explain how theories play a key role in social psychological research 1.5 Identify how the dilemma of deception is addressed in social psychology Protesting against climate change; following public health rules to reduce the spread of COVID-19; providing help to refugees who left their countries because of war, oppression, and human rights violations; and refraining from texting while driving-all these seem rather disconnected or irrelevant to one another, but there is a common thread running through them and that thread is they are all social behaviors expressed in different forms. Deciding to conserve energy or recycle your plastic waste, think-ing about providing food and shelter to refugees from warzones, conforming to pub-lic health regulations to curb the spread of the coronavirus, and deciding not to use your mobile phone while driving are not decisions that are made in a social vacuum. Whether other people (e.g., significant others, friends, mere acquaintances, and even counter-prototypes) are physically present or not, they can exert an influence on the decisions we make every day, from trivial things to major life decisions. This is because human beings are a social species. Each of us is connected to and influenced by other people, even if we're not always consciously aware of all the ways we are affected by them. Indeed, a fundamental message of social psychology is that both the good and the bad in our lives involve other people. As evidenced in the following quotations, people from all cultures and walks of life agree that our connections to others bring happiness and meaning to our lives. At the same time, we also know that other people when they disagree with us, exclude us, or harm us can be the source of our worst pain. The Dalai Lama: "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others." John Lennon, former musician with the Beatles: "Count your age by friends, not years." Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" Bob Marley, famous reggae musician: "Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you: You just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." David Byrne, musician formerly of the Talking Heads: "Sometimes it's a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence." Robert Alan Silverstein, author and social change activist: "In our hectic, fast-paced, consumer-driven society, it's common to feel overwhelmed, isolated and alone..... The sense of belonging we feel when we make the time to take an active role in our communities can give us a deeper sense of meaning and purpose." Connecting with others-both as individuals and as part of social groups is a major predictor not only of happiness and well-being but also of physical health. The Har-vard Study of Adult Development, one of the world's longest adult life studies, has been tracking the physical and mental health of 268 Harvard students and their off-spring since 1938. One of the key findings of the study is that happy and meaningful social relationships had a powerful effect on health outcomes, more than money, fame, and other individual achievements. If you had any lingering doubts about the impor-tance of the social side of life, perhaps you don't anymore! We also know that solitary confinement and social isolation are so bad for mental health that it is often considered "cruel and unusual punishment" This is why the COVID-19 pandemic has had such a wide impact on public health in 2020, by impos-ing social isolation and restriction of social contacts on billions of people around the world. A rapid review of recent research shows that children and adolescents experi-enced high rates of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19-induced social isola-tion. The disruptive effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has led global organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), to undertake initiatives to tackle loneliness and social isolation among the social groups mostly affected. While we know that many people find the thought of a physically isolated exis-tence to be disturbing, let's consider "disconnection from others" on a smaller, digital scale. Try to remember the last time you forgot your cell phone or lost access to Face-book, Twitter, or other social media outlets. How did it feel to be out of contact? Did it freak you out? Perhaps that's why it won't be surprising to learn that even these digital forms of connection to others help to satisfy our emotional needs. For example, research shows that among college students the number of Facebook friends predicts Figure 1.1 Would Life in Isolation Be Worth Living? Can you imagine what it would be like to live entirely alone, having no contact with other people? The COVID-19 pandemic has had a wide impact on public health in 2020 by imposing social isolation and restriction of social contacts on billions of people around the world. A rapid review of recent research shows that children and adolescents experienced high rates of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19-induced social isolation. life satisfaction (Manago, Taylor, & Greenfield, 2012). It's safe to say, then, that social contact is a central aspect of our lives. In a very basic sense, it helps define who we are and the quality of our existence. So, get ready for a fascinating journey, because the social side of life is the focus of this entire book. Social psychology is the branch of psychology that studies all aspects of our social existence-everything from love and helping people on the one hand, to prejudice, exclusion, and violence on the other. Social psychologists also investigate how groups influence us, how the social context we find ourselves. in affects the way we make decisions, and how we explain ourselves and the actions of other people. As you will see, how we think about ourselves at any given point in time-our identity is shaped by our relationships with other people, which in turn guides our social behavior. We will be addressing some questions you've prob-ably thought about already. After all, the nature of the social world is of interest to all of us. But we believe that some of the answers concerning human social behav-ior that has emerged from social psychological research will nevertheless surprise and intrigue you. Social psychology covers a lot of territory-much of what's central to human expe-rience. What differentiates social psychology from other social sciences is its focus on explaining influences on the individual's thought and behavior. What differentiates social psychology from the informal observations of people that we all make is its sci-entific nature. What we mean by the science of social psychology is so crucial that we will explain it in this chapter, in terms of the different techniques that are used by social psychologists to go about answering fascinating questions about the social side of life. We begin with a formal definition of social psychology: what it is and what it seeks to accomplish. Next, we'll describe several current trends in social psychology. These will be reflected throughout this book, so knowing about them at the start will help you understand why they are important. We'll also examine the pros and cons of different methods used by social psychologists to answer questions about the social side of life. A working knowledge of these basic methods will help you understand how social psychologists add to our understanding of social thoughts and behavior, and will also be useful to you outside the context of this course to evaluate research findings you read about in major media outlets. The importance of behavioral sciences-and of social psychological research in particular-has informed public and social policies in different domains, from tax eva-sion and financial fraud to climate change. It is no surprise that the British govern-ment and other governments and organizations across the globe consult Behavioral Insights teams (or Nudge Units) to better understand how to form, implement, and evaluate the outcomes of their policies (Oullier, 2013). As you will see, social psycholo-gists have accumulated an impressive body of knowledge about how people think, feel, and behave, along with the circumstances that influence those responses. Indeed, social psychological research has taught us much about the "human animal" that is being fruitfully applied in numerous domains. These include understanding how peo-ple make use of digital technology and social media and how people can best cope with adversity, to making it easier for low-income teens to attend college and adults to participate in retirement savings plans. We believe that social psychological research informs us about how reforms can be made with the aim of improving people's lives. Given the empirical and scientific approach used by social psychologists to uncover "what works and what doesn't work," we think you will see why this branch of psychology is well-placed to provide answers to many questions. Social Psychology The study of how an individual's thoughts, emotions, and actions can be shaped by the real or imagined presence of other people or the social context we live in Figure 1.2 What Is Science? Many people believe that only fields that use equipment like that shown here to study the physical world can be viewed as scientific. Others think that people watching" is a form of science. However, the term science actually refers to adherence to a set of basic values (e.g.. accuracy, objectivity) and use of a set of methods to systematically examine almost any aspect of the world around us-including the social side of I fe. In contrast, other approaches that are not scientific in nature do not accept these values or use these methods. 1.1: Social Psychology: What It Is and Is Not Objective Evaluate the diverse topics that social psychology seeks to understand Providing a definition of almost any field is a complex task. In the case of social psychology, this difficulty is increased by the field's broad scope. As you will see in every chapter of this book, social psychologists truly have a wide range of interests. Yet, despite this variation, most focus mainly on the following task: understanding how and why individu-als behave, think, and feel as they do in social situations-ones involving the actual or symbolic presence of other people. How people define themselves and others in a given situation can alter how we behave. Accordingly, we define social psychology as the scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior, feelings, and thoughts in social situations. Another way to put this is to say that social psychology investigates the ways in which our thoughts, feelings, and actions are influenced by the social environments in which we find ourselves by other people or our thoughts about them. We'll now clarify this definition by taking a closer look at several of its key aspects. 1.1.1: Social Psychology Is Scientific in Nature Many people seem to believe that this term science applies only to fields such as chemistry, physics, and biology-ones that use the kind of equipment shown in Figure 1.2 to investigate some aspect of the physical world. If you share that view, you may find our suggestion that social psychology is a scientific discipline