Group identities benefit well-being by satisfying needs

Abstract

Although research has highlighted the importance of differentiating between different types of social ties – group ties and individual ties – no experimental work exists that investigates the claim that group ties are more beneficial than individual ties, and little is known about how group memberships influence well-being, relative to relationships. We designed a series of experiments that: a) primed either multiple group memberships or multiple interpersonal relationships (vs. films) and observed the effects on participants' induced negative moods (S1, N = 120); b) primed different types (S2, N = 317) and features (S3, N = 183) of groups and observed which led to the greatest increases in life satisfaction; and c) investigated whether feelings of connectedness and self-worth mediated these effects (S1–3). We found that priming relationships satisfied psychological needs and restored and enhanced well-being, but that priming group memberships did so to a greater extent, especially when participants reflected on the group's identity rather than its members. This work contributes to our understanding of why multiple group memberships are beneficial, and highlights how important social identities associated with groups can be for well-being.