Social Facilitation
What is Social Facilitation?
Social facilitation describes the phenomenon where an individual's performance on a task improves when they are in the presence of others compared to when they are alone. This effect can occur whether the presence of others is real, imagined, or implied.
The Basic Idea
Think back to a time you were trying to get some work done at home, but could not concentrate on the task at hand. Maybe you sat there for hours . . . and only got 30 minutes of work done. Or maybe you just HAD to take another snack break, check on your dog, and double-check the mailbox – and suddenly it was the end of the day.
Maybe you decided “enough is enough,” and walked yourself and your trusty, patient laptop to the closest Starbucks. When you sat down with your drink and started working again, you ended up getting your work done at lightning speed.
Was it the coffee? Perhaps. However, psychology would say that social facilitation explains your increase in productivity. Social facilitation is when people’s productivity increases as a result of the real or perceived perception of others. At home, you knew you were alone, so it was hard to motivate yourself to get things done. At Starbucks, though, you knew other people were around, so you felt compelled to be more productive.
Though a person might not realize it, groups have a very powerful and dramatic effect on human behavior. Everyone acts differently when they are around people versus than [sic.] when they are alone. Social Facilitation [sic.] the most basic theory regarding social psychology is that when a person is alone, he or she is more relaxed and not concerned about the appearance of their behavior.
– Paul Kleinman
About the Author
Adrienne Fu
Adrienne Fu is a student at McGill University studying Economics, Computer Science, and Psychology. She is passionate about behavioural economics, particularly its intersection with consumer decision-making and UX Design. Outside of the (virtual) office, she enjoys film photography, reading, and taking care of her (many) plants.
