Social freedom shapes whose version of reality you adopt, new research suggests

A new study reveals that a society's social environment, specifically its level of relational mobility, can shape the version of reality individuals adopt. Relational mobility indicates the ease with which people can form and sever relationships in a given culture.

The research, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, suggests that individuals in high relational mobility settings are more likely to align their worldview with those who help them achieve their goals, compared to those who don't. This could be due to a perceived need to secure beneficial relationships in highly mobile environments, where partners could potentially leave.

The study analyzed data from nearly 17,000 participants across 39 countries, where respondents rated their relationship with a close friend or romantic partner in terms of emotional support and shared understanding. The results indicated that people living in high-relational mobility contexts reported greater shared reality with their partners, particularly those who were more supportive.

To further examine this phenomenon, the researchers conducted two separate studies involving undergraduate students at a Canadian university. In these studies, participants nominated people they had interacted with during the past month and rated each person's helpfulness for their goals and the degree of shared reality they experienced.

The findings revealed that in high-relational mobility contexts, the gap between shared reality with helpful and unhelpful individuals within a person's social network was more pronounced. This suggests that in societies with greater social freedom, individuals may invest more in their relationships and strive to share a common mental perspective with those who support their goals.