The role of target‐specific shared reality in interpersonal interactions and protective health behaviours

Abstract

Shared reality—the experience of sharing common inner states (e.g. feelings, beliefs) with other people about a given topic or target—is a ubiquitous human experience. With research on the construct of shared reality burgeoning in various domains, we examined a fundamental, yet understudied topic: the role of experiencing shared reality about a target in real‐time conversations and real‐world contexts. Across five studies conducted in various contexts (total N = 973), we developed a measure of target‐specific shared reality (SR‐T) and examined its role in interpersonal interactions and protective health behaviours. In our initial Studies (1a‐2), we developed a measure of SR‐T and establish psychometric, construct and criterion validity. In Study 3, we established predictive validity by investigating the link between SR‐T and important interpersonal interaction constructs (e.g. interpersonal rapport and epistemic trust in the partner). In Study 4 (preregistered), SR‐T moderated the effect of close others’ attitudes on vaccination and precautionary behaviours against COVID‐19 during the Omicron‐variant peak (2022). Our findings suggest that the experience of SR‐T, assessed with a valid measure, is linked to important dimensions of interpersonal interactions and health decisions in the real world.