• Our choices may be making us more indivi

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Thu Sep 30 21:30:38 2021
    Our choices may be making us more individualistic

    Date:
    September 30, 2021
    Source:
    Virginia Tech
    Summary:
    While having a variety of choices is widely seen as a positive
    consequence of economic development, what impact does this explosion
    of choice have on the psyche of the individual, and further,
    society as a whole?


    FULL STORY ========================================================================== According to research, an average American makes around 35,000 decisions
    each day. These decisions range from the mundane -- what color shirt to
    wear -- to the important -- whether or not to be vaccinated.


    ========================================================================== "America is called the republic of choice," said Shilpa Madan, assistant professor of marketing in the Pamplin College of Business. "Just go into
    the supermarket -- there are a mind-boggling variety of just cookies."
    In the last three decades, the number of products in the average
    supermarket increased from an average of nearly 9,000 to almost 47,000, according to the Food Marketing Institute, a trade group.

    While having a variety of choices is widely seen as a positive consequence
    of economic development, what impact does this explosion of choice have
    on the psyche of the individual, and further, society as a whole? In her recently published research in the Proceedings of the National Academy
    of Sciences, "The salience of choice fuels independence: Implications
    for self- perception, cognition, and behavior," Madan illustrates how
    this salience of choice alone can have a range of powerful psychological effects, including empowerment of the individual.

    "Just thinking about making choices makes people more independent and
    more concerned about their self-interests," she explained. "It makes
    people more individualistic." Madan notes that these choices don't need
    to be life-altering decisions to have an impact.



    ==========================================================================
    "The actual choices could be trivial. Maybe you woke up this morning
    and chose to eat cereal for breakfast instead of egg," she said. "You
    chose to like a few posts on Instagram but ignore several others. This
    mere sense of choice, that you are in the driver's seat, makes people
    feel that they are independent and important.

    "It is said that we make choices that shape our environment, but most
    of us don't realize how our choices shape us," Madan said.

    She continued, "This focus on the self isn't necessarily bad. In fact,
    it can have a range of positive consequences for the individual. When
    people think of themselves as independent, they are less likely to
    tolerate harassment or discrimination, more willing to raise their voice,
    and more willing to negotiate better conditions for themselves." However,
    the increase in individualism can potentially have negative consequences
    for the collective well-being.

    "Choice is good for the individual but could be bad for society," Madan explained. "As people become more independent and more individualistic,
    more self-interested, it becomes more difficult to take collective action.



    ==========================================================================
    As Madan explained, we are potentially seeing those negative consequences
    now during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people are increasingly choosing
    to assert their independence and act in their own best interests,
    for example, by not wearing masks or not getting vaccinated. "The
    challenges the world is facing right now -- the COVID-19 pandemic,
    climate change, discrimination, bias, and inequity -- need collective
    action, need people to work together for the greater good." While the
    United States of America was founded on the ideals of individualism, what
    about more collectivist societies? Does the salience of choice have the
    same impact on people in nations where individualism is not as prolific? According to her research, the impact is the same, no matter the culture.

    "It replicates across cultures," Madan said. "From America, which is
    already very individualistic, to Singapore and India, which are both collectivistic countries." One look down a supermarket aisle or at a
    Netflix home screen shows that our choices are only growing. So, what
    can be done to ensure that our focus on individualism does not come
    at the cost of the greater good? According to Madan, this requires
    further research.

    "As research scientists, we are trying to find interventions for
    specific contexts where we can attenuate this negative effect of choice
    on collective well-being," she said. "What are the kind of interventions
    we can create to make people wear a mask, or get vaccinated, or make
    them care for the environment?" In the interim, Madan reiterated that
    choices are meant to be made deliberately and consciously. She referenced
    the Virginia Tech motto to ensure we are making the right decisions,
    both for ourselves and for our community.

    "Virginia Tech's motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), speaks to this. Make choices that are not just self-serving but good for those around you." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Virginia_Tech. Note: Content may be
    edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Kevin Nanakdewa, Shilpa Madan, Krishna Savani, Hazel Rose
    Markus. The
    salience of choice fuels independence: Implications for
    self-perception, cognition, and behavior. Proceedings of the
    National Academy of Sciences, 2021; 118 (30): e2021727118 DOI:
    10.1073/pnas.2021727118 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210930104832.htm

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