Psychological and Brain Sciences Colloquium
Nicholas Epley, PhD, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Please join us in Moore BO3 on Friday, January 11, 2019, at 4 p.m., as Nicholas Epley, PhD, John Templeton Keller Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, presents "Undersociality."
Abstract: Being connected to others increases health and happiness, and yet people routinely forgo opportunities for prosocial connections with friends, family members, neighbors, and even strangers. This raises a broad question: Are people social enough for their own wellbeing? In experiments asking participants to connect with strangers, reconnect with old friends, express gratitude, perform random acts of kindness, give compliments, and engage in constructive confrontation, we find consistent evidence that people underestimate the positive impact of prosocial interactions on both themselves and others. Systematically underestimate the positive impact of prosocial actions may diminish people’s interest in engaging with others, to the detriment of both one’s own and others wellbeing.
A reception will follow outside of Moore 202.