Exploring Solomon's Paradox: : self-distancing eliminates the self-other asymmetry in wise reasoning about close relationships in younger and older adults

• Autores: Igor Grossmann, Ethan Kross
• Localización: Psychological Science, ISSN-e 1467-9280, Vol. 25, Nº. 8, 2014, págs. 1571-1580
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Are people wiser when reflecting on other people�s problems compared with their own? If so, does self-distancing eliminate this asymmetry in wise reasoning? In three experiments (N = 693), participants displayed wiser reasoning (i.e., recognizing the limits of their knowledge and the importance of compromise and future change, considering other people�s perspectives) about another person�s problems compared with their own. Across Studies 2 and 3, instructing individuals to self-distance (rather than self-immerse) eliminated this asymmetry. Study 3 demonstrated that each of these effects was comparable for younger (20�40 years) and older (60�80 years) adults. Thus, contrary to the adage �with age comes wisdom,� our findings suggest that there are no age differences in wise reasoning about personal conflicts, and that the effects of self-distancing generalize across age cohorts. These findings highlight the role that self-distancing plays in allowing people to overcome a pervasive asymmetry that characterizes wise reasoning.