Main description:

This edited volume brings together the latest research in understanding the nature, origins, and evolution of human sociability, one of the most intriguing aspects of human psychology.

Sociability-our sophisticated ability to interact with others, imagine, plan, and execute interdependent behaviours-lies at the heart of our evolutionary success, and is the most important prerequisite for the development of increasingly elaborate civilizations. With contributions from internationally renowned researchers in areas of social psychology as well as anthropology and evolutionary psychology, this book demonstrates the role of social psychology in explaining how human sociability evolved, how it shapes our mental and emotional lives, and how it influences both large-scale civilizational practices and intimate interpersonal relations. Chapters cover the core psychological characteristics that shape human sociability, including such phenomena as the role of information exchange, affective processes, social norms, power relations, personal relationships, attachment patterns, personality characteristics, and evolutionary pressures.

Featuring a wide variety of empirical and theoretical backgrounds, the book will be of interest to students and researchers in all areas of the social sciences, as well as practitioners and applied professionals who deal with issues related to sociability in their daily lives.

Contents:

PART 1. APPROACHES TO SOCIABILITY

Chapter 1. The Psychology of Human Sociability: From Individuals to Community. Joseph P. Forgas, William Crano, and Klaus Fiedler

Chapter 2. Evolutionary Origins and Consequences of Human Sociability. William von Hippel & Nicholas M. A. Smith

Chapter 3. Sociability: A Foundational Construct in Social Psychology. Radmila Prislin and William D. Crano

Chapter 4. An Emotion Niche for the Cultural Evolution of Social Practices. Alan Page Fiske

PART 2. SOCIABILITY AND WELL-BEING

Chapter 5. Inducing Sociability: Insights From Well-Being Science. Annie Regan & Sonja Lyubomirsky

Chapter 6. Can Sociability Be Increased? Elizabeth W. Dunn and Iris Lok

Chapter 7. How the Quest for Significance Shapes Human Sociability? Arie W. Kruglanski & Molly Ellenberg

Chapter 8. A Social Identity Analysis of Sociability: Making, Breaking, and Shaping Groups and Societies. Amber M. Gaffney and Michael A. Hogg

PART 3. SOCIABILITY AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 9. Trafficking in Information: The Sociable Agent, Shared Reality, and the Limited Role of Truth. Roy F. Baumeister and Heather M. Maranges

Chapter 10. Sociability and Advice Taking: Chances (and Pitfalls) of the Wisdom of Crowds. Klaus Fiedler and Mandy Hutter

Chapter 11. Power and Sociability. Joachim I. Krueger, David J. Gruning and Tanushri Sundar.

PART 4. SOCIABILITY AND RELATIONSHIPS

Chapter 12. An Attachment Perspective on Human Sociability: Interpersonal Goals, Mental Representations, and Information Processing. Mario Mikulincer, Phillip R. Shaver

Chapter 13. Sociability Matters: Downstream Consequences of Perceived Partner Responsiveness in Social Life. Harry T. Reis, Guy Itzchakov, Karisa Y. Lee, and Yan Ruan.

Chapter 14. Mood Effects on Sociability: How Affect Regulates Relationship Behaviors. Joseph P. Forgas.