Consuming with Others: Social Influences on Moment-to-Moment and Retrospective Evaluations of Experiences

Two studies examine differences in participants' moment-to-moment and retrospective evaluations of an experience depending on whether they are alone or in the presence of another person. Findings for the first study reveal that moment-to-moment evaluations by participants who watched a film clip together covaried in patterns consistent with processes of mimicry and emotional contagion. Retrospective evaluations of the experience were influenced by this degree of co-movement, suggesting that a sense of affiliation between those who watched the film together affected the quality of the experience. Study 2 tests and finds support for the hypothesis that shared goals may increase the degree of covariation in moment-to-moment evaluations and the extent to which this shared pattern of judgments affects retrospective evaluation.