Uncovering and targeting individual differences predicting identification with all humanity
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What features of the individual mind foster a sense that all of humanity is one family? The present work explores the relationship between identification with all humanity (IWAH) and three constructs largely overlooked in related work: perceived moral similarity across humanity, perceived similarity of oneself to animals (PSSA), and hope for society (i.e., social hope). Two studies reveal unique patterns for each construct in predicting IWAH across levels (i.e., community, country, & all humanity): while perceived moral similarity predicts IWAH across levels, social hope predicts IWAH within community and country, and PSSA predicts IWAH globally. Study 2 experimentally manipulated each construct and found that the social hope task increased IWAH across levels. Both perceived moral similarity and PSSA tasks increased IWAH within community, with smaller but similar effects on global IWAH. These findings provide novel insight into causal mechanisms underlying IWAH, with implications for interventions fostering global human identification.
