The in-Face Effect

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The in-face effect is where people incorporate someone else's face into their own sense of self. When you're stroking your hand and a rubber hand or looking at an avatar, I'm looking at someone else. And if you've had simultaneous stroking, when the photo is, let's say, 52%, you and 48%. You get as mostly you, but when it's 52% me and 48% you still think it's mostly you. Only if I face a bit of stroked simultaneously. So you start to incorporate the other person's face into your sense ofself.

There is an image, especially in Western cultures, of the rugged, authentic, self-made individual choosing how to navigate the intricacies of the social world. But there is no mystical soul within us, manifesting as the immutable essence of self. What we think of as our "self" is shaped by our environment and our genes, and most of all by our interactions with other people. Psychologist Brian Lowery argues for a strong version of this thesis, positing that our sense of self is largely a social construct. We talk about the implications of this idea, and what it means for shifting notions of personal identity.

Post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/06/12/239-brian-lowery-on-the-social-self/

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Brian Lowery received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California Los Angeles. He is currently Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. His new book is Selfless: The Social Creation of "You."

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