Much of Erica’s research examines people’s beliefs about what others think of them (i.e., “metaperception”), starting with the idea that we often know what we think of others, but it is harder to know what others think of us. After all, people don’t often tell us, and so, lacking direct evidence, we must rely on our own (often biased) estimates. These metaperceptions (your own estimate of someone else’s judgement of you) can have a profound influence on our sense of self and our performance in organizational settings. Beliefs about whether our colleagues like us affect our sense of belonging in the workplace and how psychologically safe we feel. Beliefs about whether our managers take our contributions seriously affect our sense of efficacy and satisfaction with our job. Thus, our beliefs about how others see us shapes our sense of social connection, with implications for our workplace performance, health, and well-being. But to what extent are these metaperceptions accurate?
When people try to estimate what others think of them, two key questions arise. The first concerns whether people recognize how much people are paying attention to them or thinking about them in the first place. (E.g., do we know how much attention others are paying to us during a team meeting, or how much our colleagues perseverate on the advice we gave them, or how much our spouse replays words exchanged during an argument after the fact?) Second, do people know the content or valence of others’ thoughts about them? (E.g., do we know how much a new acquaintance likes us, or whether we fall short as conversationalists, or how good our compliments and praise make recipients feel?) Social scientists have long shown that people have an overly positive view of themselves and their abilities, however Erica’s research finds that people are often overly pessimistic when it comes to their social lives.
Click on the images below for more information about each line of research.
For an overview of Erica’s research, listen to her interview on NPR’s Hidden Brain.