1978: Self-Righteous Singles and Smug Married Couples: Why People Think Their Own Lifestyle is the Best by Samantha Joel
Nov 27, 2023
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Psychologist Samantha Joel, founder of Luvze, discusses why people think their own lifestyle is the best, exploring normative idealization in relationships, the impact of relationship status on judgment, and the connection between judgment and envy.
People tend to think their own lifestyle is the best and expect others to conform, termed normative idealization.
Idealizing one's relationship status is driven by insecurity and a desire to feel better about one's life.
Deep dives
Tendency to Idealize One's Own Lifestyle
Many people tend to think that their own lifestyle is the best and expect others to make the same choices. Researchers term this phenomenon as normative idealization, where individuals view their lifestyle as the norm and believe that everyone should be more like them.
Insecurity as the Driver of Normative Idealization
The tendency to idealize one's own lifestyle stems from insecurity rather than a genuine belief that it is superior. People idealize their relationship status to feel better about their own lives. This is especially true when they perceive their current lifestyle as more permanent, leading them to be more judgmental of lifestyles that are different from their own.
The Impact of Perceived Permanence on Judgment
A sense of permanence in one's relationship status fuels judgment towards others' lifestyles. Research investigations revealed that when people felt that their relationship status was difficult to change, they evaluated job candidates with opposing relationship statuses more negatively. These findings shed light on societal prejudices towards single individuals and highlight the defensiveness of our own life choices.
Dr. Samantha Joel with Luvze shares why people think their own lifestyle is the best.
Episode 1978: Self-Righteous Singles and Smug Married Couples: Why People Think Their Own Lifestyle is the Best by Samantha Joel
Luvze was founded on the premise that relationships are a central part of life and that our understanding of relationships benefits from research and scientific evidence. They also believe this information is most beneficial when presented in an engaging and entertaining fashion. They take research findings from the fields of psychology, family studies, sociology, communication, evolutionary biology, and others, and put them in a format that you can use.