TY - JOUR
T1 - Boring People
T2 - Stereotype Characteristics, Interpersonal Attributions, and Social Reactions
AU - van Tilburg, Wijnand A.P.
AU - Igou, Eric R.
AU - Panjwani, Mehr
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Authors.
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - Unfortunately, some people are perceived as boring. Despite the potential relevance that these perceptions might have in everyday life, the underlying psychological processes and consequences of perceiving a person as “boring” have been largely unexplored. We examined the stereotypical features of boring others by having people generate (Study 1) and then rate (Study 2) these. We focused on occupations (e.g., data analytics, taxation, and accounting), hobbies (e.g., sleeping, religion, and watching TV), and personal characteristics (e.g., lacking humor and opinions, being negative) that people ascribed to stereotypically boring others. Experiments then showed that those who were ascribed boring characteristics were seen as lacking interpersonal warmth and competence (Study 3), were socially avoided (Study 4), and enduring their company required compensation (Study 5). These results suggest that being stereotyped as a bore may come with substantially negative interpersonal consequences.
AB - Unfortunately, some people are perceived as boring. Despite the potential relevance that these perceptions might have in everyday life, the underlying psychological processes and consequences of perceiving a person as “boring” have been largely unexplored. We examined the stereotypical features of boring others by having people generate (Study 1) and then rate (Study 2) these. We focused on occupations (e.g., data analytics, taxation, and accounting), hobbies (e.g., sleeping, religion, and watching TV), and personal characteristics (e.g., lacking humor and opinions, being negative) that people ascribed to stereotypically boring others. Experiments then showed that those who were ascribed boring characteristics were seen as lacking interpersonal warmth and competence (Study 3), were socially avoided (Study 4), and enduring their company required compensation (Study 5). These results suggest that being stereotyped as a bore may come with substantially negative interpersonal consequences.
KW - boredom
KW - competence
KW - person perception
KW - stereotype
KW - warmth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126065420&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/01461672221079104
DO - 10.1177/01461672221079104
M3 - Article
C2 - 35257607
AN - SCOPUS:85126065420
SN - 0146-1672
VL - 49
SP - 1329
EP - 1343
JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
IS - 9
ER -