Reber, R.
University of Bergen, Norway
Processing fluency is the ease with which a cognitive process can be executed. It has been shown that fluency is affectively positive, and statements that can be processed fluently are more likely to be judged as true. The goal of the talk is to reveal how group processes may emerge from these simple cognitive mechanisms by presenting a shared fluency theory of social cohesiveness, defined as mutual liking and shared liking among interacting individuals. The core of the theory consists of two inter-related recursive loops: one from behavioral coordination via interpersonal fluency to mutual liking and back to behavioral coordination; the other from shared exposure via shared object fluency and shared liking back to shared exposure. I then present evidence for each step of the theory. The shared fluency theory explains a diverse set of phenomena and provides new insights into topics such as cultural rituals, Confucian virtue ethics, military drill, culturally shared aesthetic tastes, and place attachment.