Understanding undersociality: Intentions, impressions, and interactions

Abstract

Ratner et al. (2023) raised the broader issue of how to enhance one's own wellbeing-that is, how to engage in "self-care"-noting that "a consumer who seeks to improve her wellbeing might wonder: What is the appropriate mix of other-oriented versus self-oriented consumption?" We note that a consumer who seeks wellbeing in this way may not experience as much of a boost in wellbeing from connecting with others as those who are trying to connect with others without focusing on "selfcare." Existing research suggests that other-oriented behavior increases one's own wellbeing indirectly, by achieving basic human goals of relational connection, competency, and autonomy (Dunn et al., 2014). Connecting with others therefore feels good to the extent that it creates a sense of connection with another person,

Causes and consequences of missed opportunities for prosociality: Introduction to Research Dialogue

“…Finally, this Research Dialogue concludes with a response by Kumar and Epley (2023) to the two commentaries in which they raise additional research questions prompted by the observations and suggestions noted in the commentaries. They identify three areas of overlap that would be fruitful research avenues to pursue: (1) intentions of the giver when deciding whether to engage in prosociality, (2) anticipated impressions that may lead to undersociality, and (3) possible moderators of people's miscalibration between their expectations of the effects of prosociality and the actual experiences.…”