Need for cognitive closure predicts preference for similar others and reduced diversity in social networks

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dc.abstract.enPeople vary in their tolerance for uncertainty, and this motivation—known as Need for Cognitive Closure (NFC)—can shape social behavior. Individuals high in NFC are driven to avoid ambiguity and quickly resolve uncertainty. Because interacting with similar others (homophily) tends to reduce uncertainty, while engaging with dissimilar others (heterophily) can increase it, we examined whether NFC predicts preferences for homophilous over heterophilous interactions. Across four correlational studies and a preregistered experiment, we found that higher NFC was consistently associated with lower heterophily. Meta-analytic results confirmed the robustness of this association across samples. High-NFC individuals also reported fewer acquaintances and fewer people to discuss important matters with. To investigate whether uncertainty reduction motivates these patterns, we experimentally induced uncertainty and assessed participants’ social preferences. As predicted, uncertainty reduced interest in interacting with dissimilar others, especially among individuals high in NFC. These findings suggest that a fundamental motivation to reduce uncertainty influences the diversity and composition of people’s social networks. This has broader implications for social support, the construction of shared realities, and the persistence of group-based stereotypes.
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii w Warszawie
dc.contributor.authorGrowiec, Katarzyna
dc.contributor.authorSzumowska, Ewa
dc.date.access2026-01-16
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-13T07:57:06Z
dc.date.available2026-03-13T07:57:06Z
dc.date.created2026-01-12
dc.date.issued2026-01-16
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.grantnumberWP/2014/B/36
dc.description.granttitleWięzi społeczne i ich psychologiczne uwarunkowania
dc.description.issue1
dc.description.physical1-13
dc.description.sdgNoSDGsAreRelevantForThisPublication
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume16
dc.identifier.doi10.1038/s41598-026-36288-6
dc.identifier.issn2045-2322
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/2214
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-36288-6
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.enHeterophilous interactions
dc.subject.enHomophilous interactions
dc.subject.enSocial networks
dc.subject.enNeed for cognitive closure
dc.subject.enUncertainty reduction
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleNeed for cognitive closure predicts preference for similar others and reduced diversity in social networks
dc.title.journalScientific Reports
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle