Moving forward is not only a metaphor: Approach and Avoidance Lead to Self-Evaluative Assimilation and Contrast
Résumé
Could it be that walking toward (vs. away) information about someone else changes what you think you are in the direction of what this person is? We answer positively and argue that approach movements lead to self-evaluative assimilation (a higher self-evaluation with a high vs. a low standard), while avoidance movements lead to self-evaluative contrast (a lower self-evaluation with a high vs. a low standard). Hence, we predict that approach and avoidance moderate the impact of comparison information on self-evaluation. To test this idea, participants were either primed with approach or avoidance before processing comparison information (Study 1) or physically had to walk toward or away from this information (Studies 2 and 3). Results on self-evaluated adjustment (Studies 1 and 2) and self-evaluated attractiveness measures (Study 3) confirmed our predictions. These studies suggest ways to behave to feel positively about ourselves when hearing about others.
Domaines
Psychologie et comportements
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