Perceived community alignment increases information sharing

Abstract: It has been proposed that information sharing, which is a ubiquitous and consequential behavior, plays a critical role in cultivating and maintaining a sense of shared reality. Across three studies, we tested this theory by investigating whether or not people are especially likely to share information that they believe will be interpreted similarly by others in their social circles. Using neuroimaging while members of the same community viewed brief film clips, we found that more similar neural responding of participants was associated with a greater likelihood to share content. We then tested this relationship using two behavioral studies and found (1) that people were particularly likely to share content that they believed others in their social circles would interpret similarly and (2) that perceived similarity with others leads to increased sharing likelihood. In concert, our findings support the idea that people are driven to share information to create and reinforce shared understanding, which is critical to social connection.