Skip to main content
Home
  • Connect!
  • Donate
  • My Account
  • Join/Login
  • S
  • Connect!
  • Join/Login
  • Home
  • About
    • What is Social and Personality Psychology?
    • Leadership
      • Elections
    • Get Involved
    • Committees
    • Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives
    • Government Relations
    • Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology
    • Governance Documents
    • Staff
    • Jobs at SPSP
      • Benefits of Working at SPSP
      • Current Openings
  • Members
    • Membership Categories and Rates
    • Member Demographics
    • Member Directory
    • APA Division 8
    • Fellowship
    • Listservs and Shared Interest Groups
    • Member Deals and Discounts
  • Publications
    • Best Practices
    • Publication Policies
    • Resources
    • PSPB
      • Editorial Philosophy
      • Manuscript Preparation/Submission Guidelines
      • PSPB Online
    • PSPR
      • Manuscript Preparation
      • PSPR Online
    • SPPS
      • Manuscript Preparation
      • SPPS Online
  • Events
    • 2022 Convention
    • Future/Past Conventions
    • Summer Psychology Forum
    • Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists
    • APA Convention (Division 8)
    • Student Opportunities
      • SISPP
      • SPUR
      • SASP
      • EASP
      • EAPP
    • Online Learning
  • Giving
    • Ways to Give
    • Planned Giving
    • Tribute Wall
    • Annual Reports
    • ARP Awards
  • Awards/Grants
    • Annual Awards
      • Senior Career Contribution Awards
      • Mid-Career Awards
      • Early Career Awards
      • Teaching and Mentoring Awards
      • Prizes for a Single Outstanding Contribution
      • Media Awards
      • Service Awards
      • Student Awards
      • Diversity Awards
    • Student Awards
      • Heritage Dissertation Research Award
      • Outstanding Research Award
      • Graduate Student Poster Award
      • Undergraduate Student Poster Award
      • Student Publication Prize
      • Jenessa Shapiro Graduate Research Award
      • Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Undergraduate Registration Award
    • Diversity Awards
      • Jenessa Shapiro Award for Contributions to Diversity and Inclusion
      • Jenessa Shapiro Graduate Research Award
      • Diversity Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Undergraduate Registration Award
    • Legacy Program
    • Registration Awards
      • Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Undergraduate Registration Award
      • Teacher/Scholar Registration Award
      • International Registration Award
      • International Bridge-Building Award
    • Small Research Grant Program
    • Small Conference Grant Program
    • Community Catalyst Grant Program
  • News
    • Member Newsletter
    • Student Newsletter
    • Character and Context Blog
    • Press Releases
    • Member Updates
  • Resources
    • Connect!
    • COVID-19
    • Free-Form Fridays
    • Students
      • Graduate Program Directory
      • Applying to Grad School
      • Life in Graduate School
    • Early Career
    • Primarily Undergraduate Institutions
    • Multimedia
      • #SPSPchat
      • SPSP Experts
      • Out of the Lab
      • Convention Videos
    • Funding
    • International Study and Work
    • Statistics & Data Analysis
    • Teaching
      • Recommended Textbooks
      • Syllabi Examples
      • Teaching Aids
      • Video
    • Applied Psychology
  • Careers
    • Find/Post a Job
    • Graduation Outcomes
    • Career Resources
    • Academic Job Market
    • Non-Academic Internships
    • Undergraduate Research
  • Connect!
  • Join/Login
  • Home
  • About
    • What is Social and Personality Psychology?
    • Leadership
      • Elections
    • Get Involved
    • Committees
    • Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives
    • Government Relations
    • Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology
    • Governance Documents
    • Staff
    • Jobs at SPSP
      • Benefits of Working at SPSP
      • Current Openings
  • Members
    • Membership Categories and Rates
    • Member Demographics
    • Member Directory
    • APA Division 8
    • Fellowship
    • Listservs and Shared Interest Groups
    • Member Deals and Discounts
  • Publications
    • Best Practices
    • Publication Policies
    • Resources
    • PSPB
      • Editorial Philosophy
      • Manuscript Preparation/Submission Guidelines
      • PSPB Online
    • PSPR
      • Manuscript Preparation
      • PSPR Online
    • SPPS
      • Manuscript Preparation
      • SPPS Online
  • Events
    • 2022 Convention
    • Future/Past Conventions
    • Summer Psychology Forum
    • Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists
    • APA Convention (Division 8)
    • Student Opportunities
      • SISPP
      • SPUR
      • SASP
      • EASP
      • EAPP
    • Online Learning
  • Giving
    • Ways to Give
    • Planned Giving
    • Tribute Wall
    • Annual Reports
    • ARP Awards
  • Awards/Grants
    • Annual Awards
      • Senior Career Contribution Awards
      • Mid-Career Awards
      • Early Career Awards
      • Teaching and Mentoring Awards
      • Prizes for a Single Outstanding Contribution
      • Media Awards
      • Service Awards
      • Student Awards
      • Diversity Awards
    • Student Awards
      • Heritage Dissertation Research Award
      • Outstanding Research Award
      • Graduate Student Poster Award
      • Undergraduate Student Poster Award
      • Student Publication Prize
      • Jenessa Shapiro Graduate Research Award
      • Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Undergraduate Registration Award
    • Diversity Awards
      • Jenessa Shapiro Award for Contributions to Diversity and Inclusion
      • Jenessa Shapiro Graduate Research Award
      • Diversity Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Undergraduate Registration Award
    • Legacy Program
    • Registration Awards
      • Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Graduate Registration Award
      • Diversity Undergraduate Registration Award
      • Teacher/Scholar Registration Award
      • International Registration Award
      • International Bridge-Building Award
    • Small Research Grant Program
    • Small Conference Grant Program
    • Community Catalyst Grant Program
  • News
    • Member Newsletter
    • Student Newsletter
    • Character and Context Blog
    • Press Releases
    • Member Updates
  • Resources
    • Connect!
    • COVID-19
    • Free-Form Fridays
    • Students
      • Graduate Program Directory
      • Applying to Grad School
      • Life in Graduate School
    • Early Career
    • Primarily Undergraduate Institutions
    • Multimedia
      • #SPSPchat
      • SPSP Experts
      • Out of the Lab
      • Convention Videos
    • Funding
    • International Study and Work
    • Statistics & Data Analysis
    • Teaching
      • Recommended Textbooks
      • Syllabi Examples
      • Teaching Aids
      • Video
    • Applied Psychology
  • Careers
    • Find/Post a Job
    • Graduation Outcomes
    • Career Resources
    • Academic Job Market
    • Non-Academic Internships
    • Undergraduate Research

You are here

Home » News

Holidays Provide an Ideal Time to Foster Shared Reality

November 14, 2019
Family gathered around table at Thanksgiving


Dr. Maya Rossignac-Milon shares her research and wisdom on “shared reality”—a crucial part in forming and maintaining our interpersonal relationships.  

By Lucy Zheng
 

What is “shared reality” and how is it important in our interpersonal relationships?

Shared reality is the perception of sharing the same inner states (e.g., thoughts, feelings, beliefs) with another person about the world. For example, you and another person might have the same reaction to something and exchange a knowing glance. Shared reality plays an important role in both drawing people to each other initially and enhancing ongoing relationships. For example, in my research, I have found that shared reality uniquely contributes to the feeling of “clicking” with someone you’ve just met. In established relationships, it also enhances the experience of self-other overlap and having “merged minds.”

How do we foster “shared reality” and why might this be important during the holidays?

There are many ways of fostering a sense of shared reality. One is to identify things in the world that you share the same thoughts and feelings about. These might be little things, like the food you are eating together, or bigger things, like reminiscing about a vacation you spent together or a funny memory you share. Another is establishing and engaging in shared practices - you can think of these as “traditions” that are special to your family. Maybe you cook all together or play a certain game after dinner. You might have inside jokes or shared references to past events that only your family members “get.” In some sense, the holidays present an important time to foster a family shared reality by creating and celebrating your family-specific culture.

There may be many things about your life that your family will never “get,” but there are also some things that only your family can “get”—like your memories together and the family culture you have created. Take a moment to celebrate those things!

Dr. Maya Rossignac-Milon is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Management Division at Columbia Business School.

Announcement Categories: 
Member Updates
Sidebar Items: 
Sidebar: Convention

2022 Convention

SPSP 2022 Annual Convention in San Francisco CA February 17 - 19 2022
learn More

Connect!

Connect with colleagues, share resources and join the discussion!

Connect Logo


Share this page
 
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
1120 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 280
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 869-3240
spspinfo@spsp.org
Facebook Icon Twitter Icon LinkedIn Icon
  • Connect!
  • Join/Login
  • Home
  • About
  • Members
  • Publications
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Awards/Grants
  • News
  • Resources
  • Careers
© 2021. Society for Personality and Social Psychology®. All rights reserved.

View our Privacy Policy here.