Imagine you’re solving a fun BuzzFeed quiz, and you come across this question
How much do you help out with chores at home?
Option A: I rarely help out with chores
Option B: I help out when I’m asked to
Option C: I occasionally do household chores without being asked
Option D: I am the household boss; I handle most of the chores!
Would you give answers that are completely true, or would you select one that would make your sibling or partner give you a bombastic side eye? Now, should you plead guilty to the latter, then you get a free membership to join the social desirability club, where you can unleash your ‘let me look good’ persona!
Wait! What is Social Desirability?
Simply put, this is a tendency for people to give responses in surveys in ways that would cast them in a favorable light to others. It is the natural urge to exaggerate “positive” traits a tad bit and downplay those that may not be viewed favorably by others. That doesn’t mean people are downright liars when answering surveys, but that they slightly sugarcoat the truth to fit into society’s expectations.
Behind The Scenes of The Pretentiousness
So, what is the enigma behind this tendency? Well, it turns out, holistically speaking, we are, at the end of the day, social animals, and it is in our nature to be concerned about what others think about us - to gain their approval - and how we feel about ourselves. We don’t want to feel the embarrassment and repercussions that follow when we reveal sensitive information about ourselves to others. The other (and more unconscious) tendency at play here is self-deception: we want to maintain our denial and not face the truth of who we really are.
Let’s understand this using an example, in the context of both self-deception, and deception in the presence of others.
Self-deception is, basically, people believing something to be true about themselves when it is not. In this case, even though the respondent may neither be aware of their tendencies to cast themselves in a favorable light nor be consciously trying to, they still end up doing it anyway. For example, many people view themselves as environmentally conscious or as leading sustainable lives, because that’s what they think society expects of them and views favorably. Imaginably, if they were interviewed about their recycling habits, they might convey - and genuinely think - that they always segregate their waste and contribute to recycling, even if it’s not true.
In the other scenario, a person may very well be aware of their exaggerated self-perception, but still paint a rosy picture of themselves to others to avoid judgement or disapproval. For example, if someone was giving a questionnaire on how often they’ve cheated on an exam, they might try to underreport the actual extent and convey that they’ve always been honest during exams, despite knowing that it’s not true.
At the end of the day, the motive behind these tendencies remains the same: looking good in front of others. Even though someone knows that a survey is just a harmless page with some questions written on it, they still imagine an invisible audience watching their every move and response, silently judging them. And to avoid that judgement, they make themselves seem “perfect” in the eyes of others.
The Undesirable Face of Social Desirability
While this tendency can seem amusing, to a researcher, it is not! It leads to biases and misinterpretations in results: socially “desirable” traits are exaggerated, while “undesirable” ones are under-reported, which is a distortion of reality.
These inaccurate results can lead a researcher to make inaccurate conclusions or generalizations about the things they’re trying to study. Imagine a person tasted a sample of chocolate at the local patisserie that they didn’t like at all. However, upon being given a feedback form, they gave a positive rating to be polite to the vendor. This will lead to the vendor thinking that their chocolate tastes good and continue to sell the item to other customers, and we’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
So, What’s The Solution?
One thing that many survey creators and researchers do is to let the respondent answer the questions privately. This is because the mere presence of someone can lead to the respondent wanting to present themselves “positively” to them. Here, methods like online surveys that people can take without being subject to the scrutiny of others can work as a solution.
Another step that can be taken is to allow for responses to be submitted anonymously, so that the respondent doesn’t feel the pressure of their identity being associated with any “unfavorable” traits. When no one can find who said they don’t exercise or segregate their wastes regularly, it’s easier to lie.
An effective technique used by researchers is to deploy the powers of language and phrase questions in such a way that they retain their meaning but subtly. For example, instead of asking someone, “Do you support women’s rights?”, the question can be phrased as “To what extent do you think women’s clothing choices contribute to crimes committed against them?”.
Such a phrasing can indirectly, yet effectively, provide insights into the ideological leanings of the respondents without prompting them to lie about their true opinions.
Looking Back
This topic can be a tough nut to crack for researchers and survey creators, but it can also provide valuable lenses into human nature and the psyche behind the tendencies we all fall prey to. Not only do we learn that at our core, we are designed to care about how others perceive us, but also give us opportunities to tweak and play around with the ways in which we ask questions and understand the world around us.
Regardless of how reading this may make one feel, the next time you feel tempted to sugarcoat the truth about the steps you take to reduce your carbon footprint, or the number of times you indulge in chocolates each week, keep in mind that being honest with and aware about yourself is what fuels real growth - who knows, maybe you can learn a thing or two about yourself, and also help others understand the world better!
Comentarios