Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Social Psychology Political Psychology Authoritarianism

Exposure to authoritarian messages leads to worsened mood but heightened meaning in life

by Eric W. Dolan
October 10, 2021
in Authoritarianism, Political Psychology

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

New psychology research sheds light on why some people embrace authoritarian values. The findings, published in PLOS One, indicate that expressions of authoritarian ideology can enhance a person’s sense of meaning in life.

“Authoritarianism is a real-world problem,” said Jake Womick, the corresponding author of the study and a postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “I had grown up and proceeded through the U.S. educational system thinking authoritarianism was something of the past. Today, it is clear it is among the most pressing modern-day issues. Understanding why people are drawn to authoritarianism is personally important to me, important to society, and important to science.”

In an initial study, the researchers had 1,053 participants complete the Right-wing Authoritarianism Scale and the Tripartite Meaning Scale. Some participants completed the authoritarianism scale first, while others completed the meaning in life scale first. The researchers found that meaning in life was higher on average for those who completed the authoritarianism scale before completing the meaning in life scale.

Next, the researchers collected excerpts from authoritarian leaders such as Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong Un, and George Patton and egalitarian leaders such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Eleanor Roosevelt. They also crafted an authoritarian passage, an egalitarian passage, and a control passage, the latter of which “merely described the importance of having a philosophy of life.”

A sample of 1,904 participants were then randomly assigned to read one of the passages before completing a variety of psychological assessments. The participants were led to believe that the study was about examining “the ways people perceive and remember information.” They were unaware of the author of the passage and were encouraged “to focus on the ideas conveyed without immediately judging the author” while reading the excerpt.

Womick and his colleagues found that those who read passages from real-world authoritarian leaders tended to report worse mood but higher meaning in life compared to those who read control passages.

Three subsequent experiments, which included 3,085 Americans and 148 Canadians, confirmed that reading authoritarian passages was associated with higher meaning in life. People tended to negatively evaluate authoritarian passages, but the researchers found that heightened meaning in life following exposure to the authoritarian passage predicted more positive evaluations of the message. “The pattern of results suggests that this unlikeable worldview may become (even slightly) more likeable as a function of its effects on meaning in life,” they explained.

“One of the reasons authoritarian values may be appealing to people is because exposure to them enhances the feeling that life is meaningful,” Womick told PsyPost. “Authoritarian messages are everywhere in the modern information environment. It is possible that the meaning boosting capacity of expressions of authoritarian values is one of the factors (among many others) that might drive people to eventually viewing these as a compelling belief system.”

The researchers consistently found that reading authoritarian passages was associated with worsened mood compared to reading the other passages. “Exposure to authoritarian values also puts people in a foul mood, and these may to some extent mask their impact on meaning in life,” Womick said.

But the study — like all research — includes some limitations.

“We conducted these studies online, and using non-representative U.S. samples, so it is unclear whether these results would generalize to other mediums of presentation (e.g., authoritarian rallies), the national U.S. population, or other cultures,” Womick explained.

But the findings are in line with other research. Womick’s previous work has found that people who score higher on a measure of right-wing authoritarianism tend to report higher levels of meaning in life, even after controlling for religiosity, personality traits, and other factors.

“Many questions still need to be addressed,” Womick added. “Most importantly, we don’t know exactly why exposure to authoritarian values enhance meaning in life. It could be about belongingness, the reduction of uncertainty, or a host of other factors we have yet to test.”

The study, “Exposure to authoritarian values leads to lower positive affect, higher negative affect, and higher meaning in life“, was authored by Jake Womick, John Eckelkamp, Sam Luzzo, Sarah J. Ward, S. Glenn Baker, Alison Salamun, and Laura A. King.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePin1Send
Previous Post

Narcissistic and perfectionistic tendencies are linked to workaholism among academicians, study finds

Next Post

Sensory white noise helps children with dyslexia read and remember words, study finds

STAY CONNECTED

Find these awesome psychology shirts and more at the PsyPost Store!

TRENDING

Social anxiety tends to be elevated among those who suffered emotional maltreatment in childhood

New study identifies perceived mattering as a core psychological component of happy marriages

Scientists use deep learning algorithms to predict political ideology based on facial characteristics

New study hints at the characteristics of the “ideal” female breast

Higher prenatal testosterone exposure is linked to Machiavellianism and psychopathy, study suggests

Diversity of the gut microbiota is associated with the severity of depression

RECENT

Diversity of the gut microbiota is associated with the severity of depression

Higher prenatal testosterone exposure is linked to Machiavellianism and psychopathy, study suggests

New research: Brain implant can objectively measure chronic pain severity

New study hints at the characteristics of the “ideal” female breast

Our brain prefers positive vocal sounds that come from our left

Study highlights the importance of napping for memory consolidation in early childhood

People with advanced biological age are at greater risk of developing depression and anxiety, study finds

Sun avoidance and lack of vitamin D dietary intake linked to heightened anxiety among college women

Currently Playing

Childhood adversity associated with increased emotional response to others’ suffering in adulthood

Childhood adversity associated with increased emotional response to others’ suffering in adulthood

Childhood adversity associated with increased emotional response to others’ suffering in adulthood

Mental Health
New study sheds light on cognitive mechanisms linked to hypnosis

Chronic intake of refined carbohydrates between meals is associated with decreased cognitive performance, study finds

Cognitive Science
Mindfulness might hinder prosocial behavior among individuals with high intelligence

Mindfulness might hinder prosocial behavior among individuals with high intelligence

Social Psychology
Women who have larger breasts tend to have lower levels of satisfaction with their breasts, study finds

Women who have larger breasts tend to have lower levels of satisfaction with their breasts, study finds

Social Psychology
Unwanted celibacy is linked to hostility towards women, sexual objectification of women, and endorsing rape myths

Depressive symptoms tied to malevolent creativity in new study

Depression
Psychosocial stress triggers an oxytocin response in women, study finds

Oxytocin alters amygdala activation in response to angry faces in antisocial personality disorder

Cognitive Science
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.