Despite widespread concerns that the social fabric is fraying, cooperation between strangers in the United States has gradually increased since the 1950s, according to a new study published in the journal Psychological Bulletin (full PDF here).
The meta-analysis examined 511 studies conducted between 1956 and 2017 in the United States, which collectively enrolled more than 63,000 participants.
These studies included self-reports as well as laboratory experiments measuring collaboration between strangers.
Contrary to expectations, collaboration is increasing
The study found a small, gradual increase in collaboration over a 61-year period, which the researchers say is associated with notable changes in US society could.
This finding is in line with widespread assumptions, including in the scientific literature.
For example, the current study mentions Robert D. Putnam’s 2000 classic, Bowling Alone, where he argues that “Americans are increasingly unconnected outside of the marketplace and therefore less willing to work together toward common goals.” has been cited more than 95,000 times according to Google Scholar.
Why are Americans becoming more cooperative?
The increase in collaboration has been associated with an increase in urbanization, societal affluence, income inequality and the number of people living alone.
The study cannot prove that these factors lead to an increase in collaboration, only that there is an association.
In previous research, increased collaboration was associated with market competitiveness and associated with economic growth.
And as more people live in cities and alone, they may be forced to work with strangers.
“We were surprised by our findings that Americans have become more cooperative recently is six decades,” said lead researcher Yu Kou of Beijing Normal University, “because many people believe US society is less socially connected, less trusting, and less committed to the common good.”
” Greater collaboration within and across societies can help us tackle global challenges such as B. Responses to pandemics, climate change and immigration crises,” she said.
A more anonymous society may actually lead to more collaboration, not less
It may be that “people gradually learn to extend their collaboration with friends and acquaintances to include strangers, which is required in more urban, anonymous societies,” said co-author Paul Van Lange from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Indeed, as the study points out, there is evidence that US states have higher levels of individualism (as measured by the percentage living alone, the ratio of divorce to marriage, and the percentage of self-employed workers ) tend to have higher levels of overall trust, more charitable donations, and more time devoted to volunteering for the community.
The studies analyzed had primarily college students as participants, hence the results may not be as representative of real life situations or US society as a whole.
However, the researchers noted that previous studies had not found that levels of collaboration across the US varied by gender or ethnicity.
Future Directions
“An intriguing implication One of these findings is that while Americans’ cooperation has increased over time, their belief in others’ willingness to cooperate has actually decreased,” write the article’s authors.
” These findings, they conclude, “challenge the notion that social capital and civic cooperation among aliens in the United States has declined over time.”
Article: “Hat cooperation among strangers in the United States decreased? A Cross-Temporal Meta-Analysis of Social Dilemmas (1956-2017)”Authors: Yu Kou, Mingliang Yuan, Giuliana Spadaro, Shuxian Jin, Paul A.M. Van Lange, Daniel Balliet, and Junhui Wu Published in: Psychological Bulletin Published date: 18. July 2022DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000363
Other breaking news in psychology:
- Helping others improved your own physical and mental health.
- An unexpected contact with a friend is valued more than people realize, a new study shows.
- A new study of myopia in children has found that nearsighted children are more likely to have under Depression and anxiety suffer, but the problem is fixable.
.
