How does lacking vs. possessing power in a social exchange affect people’s trust in their exchange partner? An answer to this question has broad implications for a number of exchange settings in which dependence plays an important role. Here, we report on a series of experiments in which we manipulated participants’ power position in terms of structural dependence and observed their trust perceptions and behaviors. Over a variety of different experimental paradigms and measures, we find that more powerful actors place less trust in others than less powerful actors do. Our results contradict predictions by rational actor models, which assume that low-power individuals are able to anticipate that a more powerful exchange partner will place little value on the relationship with them, thus tends to behave opportunistically, and consequently cannot be trusted. Conversely, our results support predictions by motivated cognition theory, which posits that low-power individuals want their exchange partner to be trustworthy and then act according to that desire. Mediation analyses show that, consistent with the motivated cognition account, having low power increases individuals’ hope and, in turn, their perceptions of their exchange partners’ benevolence, which ultimately leads them to trust.Top voted Reddit Comments...
- When you are in a position of power you realize that others in power are human just like yourself and that they may or may not know what they are doing.
- When you're higher in power, you have more to lose.
- Could be that less trusting individuals achieve positions of higher power. Or maybe the road of power strips you of trust for others?
- Much in common with Stockholm syndrome. Pretty much every higher animal that lives in a group has evolved dominance hierarchies as a way fo avoiding continuous upheaval. Not to recognise these hierarchies by the very small things which symbolise them - posture, gaze, teeth displays and yawning, for example - can be fatal. Humans have very elaborate hierarchies and we are hard wired to recognise and respond to these. Hierarchs are good at emphasising this: sitting higher, in distinctive clothing, being heralded by trumpets, whatever.Car Chase Video... or Stuff Happens.
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3 comments:
While on the way to pick up my nephews it occurred to me what the point of this study is.
Don't trust Trump.
I lol'ed at the GTA5 car chase.
"When you're higher in power, you have more to lose."
That's pretty much it. It's all resource guarding. Once you got it, you want to keep it, because you know it took sacrifice to get, and others will take it if they can. Blame Darwin. I just think this study just found out a simple truth made famous by Willie Sutton when asked why he robbed banks: "because that's where the money is."
Once you acquire enough wealth or power, you can afford to take more chances trusting people, and so you learn faster and harder that this is a very disappointing endeavor, and it surprises you just how many people will take advantage of you if you let them. You learn to be more cautious, or you will not be the one in power or wealth for long.
You also learn to treasure those who you can trust. They are truly rare and special souls.
This, of course, naturally leads you to be conservative politically. Nobody trusts politicians, so why would you want them to have more power, and more of your resources to manage?
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