{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Tedeschi E"],"funding":["NIMH NIH HHS","National Institute of Mental Health","National Science Foundation","The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Foundation"],"pagination":["1499-1510"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8697704"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["21(7)"],"pubmed_abstract":["When we face danger or stress, the presence of others can provide a powerful signal of safety and support. However, despite a large literature on group living benefits in animals, few studies have been conducted on how group size alters subjective emotional responses and threat perception in humans. We conducted 5 experiments (N = 3,652) to investigate whether the presence of others decreases fear in response to threat under a variety of conditions. In Studies 1, 2 and 3, we experimentally manipulated group size in hypothetical and real-world situations and found that fear responses decreased as group size increased. In Studies 4 and 5 we again used a combination of hypothetical and real-world decisions to test whether increased anxiety in response to a potential threat would lead participants to choose larger groups for themselves. Participants consistently chose larger groups when threat and anxiety were high. Overall, our findings show that group size provides a salient signal of protection and safety in humans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)."],"journal":["Emotion (Washington, D.C.)"],"pubmed_title":["Fear in groups: Increasing group size reduces perceptions of danger."],"pmcid":["PMC8697704"],"funding_grant_id":["P2026052","P50 MH094258","2P50MH09425","GRFP DGE 16-44869"],"pubmed_authors":["Armand S","Silston B","Buyalskaya A","Mobbs D","Tedeschi E"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"Fear in groups: Increasing group size reduces perceptions of danger.","description":"When we face danger or stress, the presence of others can provide a powerful signal of safety and support. However, despite a large literature on group living benefits in animals, few studies have been conducted on how group size alters subjective emotional responses and threat perception in humans. We conducted 5 experiments (N = 3,652) to investigate whether the presence of others decreases fear in response to threat under a variety of conditions. In Studies 1, 2 and 3, we experimentally manipulated group size in hypothetical and real-world situations and found that fear responses decreased as group size increased. In Studies 4 and 5 we again used a combination of hypothetical and real-world decisions to test whether increased anxiety in response to a potential threat would lead participants to choose larger groups for themselves. Participants consistently chose larger groups when threat and anxiety were high. Overall, our findings show that group size provides a salient signal of protection and safety in humans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).","dates":{"release":"2021-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2021 Oct","modification":"2025-04-04T12:04:57.024Z","creation":"2025-04-04T12:04:57.024Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC8697704","cross_references":{"pubmed":["34928692"],"doi":["10.1037/emo0001004"]}}