Minutes

Pech, Guillaume P.; Caspar, Emilie A. (2025). A cross-cultural EEG study of how obedience and conformity influence reconciliation intentions. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 20(1), nsaf038. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsaf038

Would you be more likely to forgive someone if an authority figure encouraged you, or if everyone around you did the same? Researchers from Belgium studied how social influence shapes our willingness to reconcile. 

The study included 78 university students from Belgium, Cambodia, and Rwanda. Participants completed fictional scenarios in which they decided whether to help the child of someone who had harmed their family in the past. Before making each decision, they received influence from either an authority figure, a group of peers, or a single individual. Researchers measured participants' choices, decision speed, and brain activity using electroencephalography (or EEG) to examine how difficult each decision felt. 

Results? Participants reported feeling more influenced by authority than by groups. However, both authority figures and peer groups increased prosocial choices more than the individual. Brain activity showed that following an authority or group required similar mental processing, suggesting similar effects upon social influence. 

Social influence affects all of us, often without recognition. Before following the crowd or an authority figure, ask yourself: "Is this the right and kind action to take?” That simple question may help you make choices that reflect your own values rather than social pressure. 

Written by Dan Peacock M.S.