Lost in the crowd: Conformity as escape following disbelief in free will

Moynihan, Andrew B.; Igou, Eric R.; Tilburg, Wijnand A.P. van

doi:10.1002/ejsp.2499

Cited by 15 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 121 publications

(409 reference statements)

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“…First, this study was conducted online to reach a larger sample size. To our knowledge, there are at least two published studies [ 25 , 30 ] which used the Crick text in a single online procedure and both studies observed a difference between the anti-free will group and the control group in their manipulation checks. Moreover, the meta-analysis mentioned above [ 23 ] included these two studies and other unpublished studies to compare the Crick-text manipulation in laboratory-based and online contexts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are post-error adjustments influenced by beliefs in free will? A failure to replicate Rigoni, Wilquin, Brass and Burle, 2013

et al. 2020

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In this pre-registered study, we tried to replicate the study by Rigoni et al. 2013 Cognition 127 , 264–269. In the original study, the authors manipulated the participants’ belief in free will in a between-subject design and subsequently measured post-error slowing (i.e. slower responses after an incorrect trial compared with a correct trial) as a marker of cognitive control. They found less post-error slowing in the group with reduced belief in free will (anti-free will group) compared with a control group in which belief in free will was not manipulated. In the present study, we used the same task procedure and the same free will manipulation (Crick text) in an attempt to replicate these findings. However, we used an online procedure and a larger sample size in order to address concerns about statistical power. Similar to the original study, we also used a questionnaire to measure beliefs in free will as an independent manipulation check. We found a difference in the scores on the questionnaire, thus a reduced belief in free will, after reading the Crick text. However, we did not find any difference in post-error slowing between the anti-free will and control groups. Our findings are in line with several other recent findings suggesting that the Crick text manipulation affects the participants’ self-reported belief in free will but not their behaviour. The present study can be considered a high-powered failed replication attempt.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are post-error adjustments influenced by beliefs in free will? A failure to replicate Rigoni, Wilquin, Brass and Burle, 2013

et al. 2020

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“…We summarised a growing area of research, informed by the existential escape hypothesis (Wisman, 2006), suggesting that bored people may also seek to downplay their self-awareness as the inherent meaninglessness of boredom is captured by people's self-awareness (Sedikides & Skowronski, 1997, 2003. Examples of strategies used to achieve this goal from our research include consumption (Moynihan et al, 2015), impulsiveness (Moynihan et al, 2017a), and other strategies noted in literature on existential processes (e.g., types of conformity, Moynihan et al, 2019;Wisman & Koole, 2003). In our review, we highlighted the key roles of perceived meaninglessness and adverse self-awareness in these relationships and presented ideas for EXISTENTIAL ESCAPE OF THE BORED 35 alternative means of existential escape that might occur in response to boredom (e.g., sex, conformity, dark flow).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Existential escape of the bored: A review of meaning-regulation processes under boredom

Moynihan

Igou

Tilburg

2020

European Review of Social Psychology

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Boredom is a common, unpleasant emotion that conveys meaninglessness in life and compels people to escape from this adverse existential experience. Within the paradigm of existential social psychology frameworks, previous research found that bored people endorse cultural sources of meaning as compensation against this state (i.e., nostalgia, political ideologies). In recent years, another form of defence against meaning threats has been identified. An existential escape hypothesis relating to boredom claims that people seek to avoid meaninglessness when people encounter meaning threats such as boredom. By engaging in behaviours with low selfawareness, people counteract awareness of their bored and meaningless self. In this article, we review the current literature on boredom in light of such acts of existential escape. We also provide suggestions for future research to highlight under which circumstances people are more likely to engage in existential escape and identify phenomena that need to be tested within the escape process.

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“…Moreover, appearance modifications may help to reduce the awareness of one’s physical self. Indeed, research indicates that self‐threats, such as mortality salience (Wisman, Heflick, & Goldenberg, 2015), boredom (Moynihan, Igou, & van Tilburg, 2021), and disbelief in free‐will (Moynihan, Eric, & van Tilburg, 2018), may trigger attempts to escape from the self (Wisman, 2006). Perhaps participants’ desire for modification reflects a similar attempt to disassociate from the self.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐objectification in women predicts approval motivation in online self‐presentation

Chen

Tilburg

Leman

2021

British J Social Psychol

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Researchers have examined self‐objectification – viewing oneself as an object rather than a subject – in terms of its impact on intrapersonal factors, such as mental health and cognitive performance. However, few have examined how self‐objectification relates to interpersonal factors. The present research addressed this gap by testing the impact of self‐objectification on social approval motivation among women. Study 1 (n = 103) found that individual differences in self‐objectification correlated positively with approval motivation. Study 2 (n = 94) replicated these results and found that women who reported higher self‐objectification were more willing to modify their social media profile pictures unrealistically. In Study 3 (n = 100), higher self‐objectifying women were more willing to unrealistically modify their profile pictures even if this exceeded normative levels, which was replicated in Study 4 (n = 199). These results suggest that women’s self‐objectification is associated with a desire for approval from others and this desire manifests in a willingness to modify self‐presentation.

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Lost in the crowd: Conformity as escape following disbelief in free will

Cited by 15 publications

References 121 publications

Are post-error adjustments influenced by beliefs in free will? A failure to replicate Rigoni, Wilquin, Brass and Burle, 2013

Are post-error adjustments influenced by beliefs in free will? A failure to replicate Rigoni, Wilquin, Brass and Burle, 2013

Existential escape of the bored: A review of meaning-regulation processes under boredom

Self‐objectification in women predicts approval motivation in online self‐presentation

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