1. Empathy & Prosociality: Key Predictors of Connectedness & Well-being in Social Networks
Rucha Makati, Sylvia Morelli, Desmond Ong, Matthew Jackson, & Jamil Zaki
Introduction
Trait Factors: Empathy/Prosociality & Positivity
Results
Highly empathetic & prosocial people are more likely to…
Have mutual and reciprocal friendships.
p = , b = 0.356
Be sought out for social advice.
p = , b = 0.424
Exchange good news with others.
p = , b = 0.308
Be recognized as source of social support.
p = , b = 0.581
Be identified as an empathetic person across the whole network.
p = , b = 0.568
Be nominated as a positive person.
p = , b = 235
Empathy / Prosociality
Positivity
Negativity
Having strong relationships is critical for our social and personal well-being. We seek out others in order to receive support and share our experiences. It is important to understand how individual differences (e.g. empathy) impact how social networks are built and maintained.
Past work shows that empathy, prosociality, and positive affect foster social ties and social connections, whereas negative affect often degrades social bonds. But, little is known about how these individual differences impact individuals’ position and standing in their social network.
Anxiety
Perceived Stress
Depression
Neuroticism
Negative Affect
Subjective Happiness (-)
Loneliness
Life Satisfaction (-)
Behavioral Inhibition
Personal Distress
Empathic Concern
Positive Empathy
Agreeableness
Prosociality
Perspective Taking
Interpersonal Regulation
Hypomanic Personality
Extraversion
Narcissism
Behavioral Activation
Positive Affect
Research Questions
What individual differences predict network nominations of closeness, empathy, positivity and negativity?
Does self-reported empathy predict more reciprocal ties with network members?
Are empathetic people more likely to be sought out as a source of social advice and support?
Does self-reported positive affect predict more numerous social ties?
Does the social network’s perception of an individual track with the individual’s reports of their own social status?
Social Network Graphs
Empathy  more reciprocal ties for close friendships
Who are your closest friends?
Who usually makes you feel positive?
Empathy  make more network members feel positive
Social Network Terminologies
Nodes – individuals
Edges – line showing relationship / tie between individuals
In-degree – number of network members who nominated an individual
Reciprocity – number of bidirectional nominations (i.e., individuals who mutually nominate each other)
Who is most empathetic?
Empathy  identified as empathetic across network
Whom have you asked for advice about your social life?
Empathy  sought out for social advice by more network members
Methods
197 Stanford freshmen (51% female; avg. age = years)
Answered 6 questions about other dorm members during Week 2 of quarter
Completed trait surveys on empathy, prosociality, well-being, & personality
Network nomination questions
Who are your closest friends?
Whom have you asked for advice about your social life?
Whom do you share good news with?
Who makes you feel supported and cared for?
Who is most empathetic?
Who usually makes you feel positive?
Analyses
Factor analysis of all trait surveys to identify key predictors
Used trait factors to predict in-degree and reciprocal ties for nomination questions
Conclusions
Acknowledgment
Empathy and prosociality promote the formation of strong, mutually supportive social bonds with many social network members
Further, these individuals are recognized as sources of support and positivity by their network
These highly empathetic and helpful individuals are critical for the well-being of the entire social network
Special thanks to Dr. Sylvia Morelli & Dr. Matthew Jackson for their mentorship and guidance throughout this project. Many thanks to Desmond Ong for helping with network data analyses. Lastly, we would like to thank Dr. Jamil Zaki for supporting this project.
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