High relational mobility fosters self-other overlap friendships unlike ascribed networks

Evidence

Existing literature suggests that the former type of relational self might be more prevalent in societies that are found to be high in relational mobility. For instance, findings indicate that felt closeness between friends is higher for North Americans than for people in other parts of the world, such as West Africa (Adams et al., 2004) and East Asia (Schug et al., 2010). The latter type, however, is likely more prevalent in societies low in relational mobility, where the connections between individuals are stable, solid, and readily apparent. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 1647

Categorization

• QUESTION: The finding that North Americans report more felt closeness with friends than West Africans or East Asians seems counterintuitive given stereotypes — worth checking the measurement (self-report of closeness vs. actual network structure).
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 1647