Reciprocal processes of sensory perception and social bonding: an integrated social‐sensory framework of social behavior

Considering Others’ Mental States Causally Increases Feelings of Social Bonding and Information Sharing

10.31234/osf.io/nw43x ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elisa Baek ◽

Diana Tamir ◽

Emily B. Falk

Keyword(s):

Social Behavior ◽

Information Sharing ◽

Mental States ◽

Social Bonding ◽

Health News ◽

Brain Behavior ◽

The Relationship ◽

Share Information ◽

Shed Light ◽

Mentalizing System

Information sharing is a ubiquitous social behavior. What causes people to share? Mentalizing, or considering the mental states of other people, has been theorized to play a central role in information sharing, with higher activity in the brain’s mentalizing system associated with increased likelihood to share information. In line with this theory, we present novel evidence that mentalizing causally increases information sharing. In three pre-registered studies (n = 400, 840, and 3500 participants), participants who were instructed to consider the mental states of potential information receivers indicated higher likelihood to share health news compared to a control condition where they were asked to reflect on the content of the article. Certain kinds of mentalizing were particularly effective; in particular, considering receivers’ emotional and positive mental states, led to the greatest increase in likelihood to share. The relationship between mentalizing and sharing was mediated by feelings of closeness with potential receivers. Mentalizing increased feelings of connectedness to potential receivers, and in turn, increased likelihood of information sharing. Considering receivers’ emotional, positive, and inward-focused mental states was most effective at driving participants to feel closer with potential receivers and increase sharing. Data provide evidence for a causal relationship between mentalizing and information sharing and provide insight about the mechanism linking mentalizing and sharing. Taken together, these results advance theories of information sharing and shed light on previously observed brain-behavior relationships.

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Gift-Giving as a Conceptual Framework: Framing Social Behavior in Online Networks

Journal of Information Technology ◽

10.1057/jit.2010.5 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 170-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Jörgen Skågeby

Keyword(s):

Social Behavior ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Social Bonding ◽

Sociotechnical Systems ◽

Gift Giving ◽

Online Networks ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Other Orientation

This paper explores the use of gift-giving as a theoretical and conceptual framework for analyzing social behavior in online networks and communities. Not only has gift-giving the potential to frame and explain much social media behavior, but reversely, and perhaps more Importantly, mediated social behavior also has the potential to develop gift-giving theory. Information and communication technologies form joint sociotechnical systems where new practices emerge. The paper focuses on describing the academic background of the gifting framework to help develop a deeper, theory-based, understanding of these sociotechnical phenomena. Three themes are prevalent In the gifting literature: other- orientation, social bonding and generalized reciprocity. The paper gives examples of how these themes are enacted by end-users via the use of Information and communication technologies. Finally, sociotechnically embedded economies, called gifting technologies, are Identified and discussed.

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