Fear of being near: Fear supersedes sociability when interacting amid a pandemic.

ABSTRACT: In the COVID-19 era, physical interactions ubiquitously pose a disease threat. Using a novel online paradigm, this study tested whether under such unique circumstances, the fundamental motivation to avoid disease-related threats interacts with individual differences in sociability, such that: (i) responses to others are slowed down, particularly among sociable individuals, reflecting motivational tension; (ii) the role of sociability in predicting interaction likelihood is diminished. Participants (Israeli young adults, N = 207) listened to auditory descriptions of everyday social situations, taking place in either the physical or virtual space, and decided quickly whether to interact. Participants also completed the Sociability Scale (Cheek & Buss, 1981). Responses were slower in t

SUBMITTER: Amram R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8978598 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature