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Relational dynamics and meaning in life: Dominance predicts perceived social support, belongingness, and meaning in life

Moyniha, Andrew B; Guinote, Ana; Igou, Eric R; (2023) Relational dynamics and meaning in life: Dominance predicts perceived social support, belongingness, and meaning in life. Personality and Individual Differences , 211 , Article 112249. 10.1016/j.paid.2023.112249. Green open access

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Abstract

Social relations arguably contribute to meaning in life. Here, we investigated the role of a disposition that fosters social connections and the desire to influence others - dominance. We hypothesised that dominance is associated with increased meaning in life through social mechanisms: perceptions of belongingness and social support. Two cross-sectional studies and one cross-lagged panel study tested these hypotheses. In Study 1, dominance boosted meaning in life through greater belongingness. Study 2 found support for a causal effect of dominance at Wave 1 on meaning in life at Wave 2, driven by elevated belongingness. Study 3 further demonstrated that elevated belongingness of dominant individuals derives from perceptions of increased social support and that both perceptions of social support and belongingness contributed to elevated meaning in life. We conclude that if social relations contribute to meaning in life, a dominant position within social relations can further promote a meaningful existence.

Type: Article
Title: Relational dynamics and meaning in life: Dominance predicts perceived social support, belongingness, and meaning in life
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2023.112249
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112249
Language: English
Additional information: © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: Dominance, Belongingness, Meaning, Perceived Social Support
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Experimental Psychology
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10172226
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