Booth School of Business
Published June 29, 2018 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Relational mobility predicts social behaviors in 39 countries and is tied to historical farming and threat

Creators

  • 1. Gakuen University
  • 2. Hokkaido University
  • 3. University of Chicago
  • 4. College of William & Mary
  • 5. Meiji Gakuin University
  • 6. Bielefeld University
  • 7. Universität Osnabrück
  • 8. Université de Toulouse
  • 9. Chinese University of Hong Kong
  • 10. Sungkyunkwan University
  • 11. University of Castilla - La Mancha
  • 12. Hungarian Academy of Sciences
  • 13. University of Kent
  • 14. Colegio Colombiano de Psicólogos
  • 15. University of Tartu
  • 16. University of Oxford
  • 17. Reanimation Package of Reforms
  • 18. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
  • 19. Jagiellonian University

Description

Biologists and social scientists have long tried to understand why some societies have more fluid and open interpersonal relationships and how those differences influence culture. This study measures relational mobility, a socioecological variable quantifying voluntary (high relational mobility) vs. fixed (low relational mobility) interpersonal relationships. We measure relational mobility in 39 societies and test whether it predicts social behavior. People in societies with higher relational mobility report more proactive interpersonal behaviors (e.g., self-disclosure and social support) and psychological tendencies that help them build and retain relationships (e.g., general trust, intimacy, self-esteem). Finally, we explore ecological factors that could explain relational mobility differences across societies. Relational mobility was lower in societies that practiced settled, interdependent subsistence styles, such as rice farming, and in societies that had stronger ecological and historical threats.

Notes

Due to the large number of authors, only the first 20 and the University of Chicago authors are included on the above author list. Please download the article for the complete list of authors.

Files

thomson-et-al-2018-relational-mobility-predicts-social-behaviors-in-39-countries-and-is-tied-to-historical-farming-and.pdf

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Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.1073/pnas.1713191115
Other
oai:uchicago.tind.io:9755

Related works

Is supplement to
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1904483116 (URL)

UChicago Information

Division(s)
Booth School of Business
Department(s)
Behavioral Science