Thinking you're different matters more for belonging than being different.

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Community Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Community belonging is vital for psychological wellbeing.
• Dissimilarity from a group can impede feelings of belonging.
• Understanding predictors of belonging is key for intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether perceived or actual similarity to peers better predicts a sense of belonging.
• To explore the role of behavioral norms and values endorsement in belonging.
• To examine the relationship between social network characteristics and behavioral differences.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from 1181 students on belonging, perceived and actual similarity to peers (friends, average student) regarding norms and values.
• Difference scores calculated for perceived and actual similarity, and accuracy around norms.
• Social network analysis used to assess links between behavioral differences and network properties.

Main Results:

• Perceived behavioral similarity to an average student significantly predicted belonging, even when controlling for other factors.
• Perceived similarity robustly mediated the relationship between identity and belonging.
• Behavioral differences from friends were associated with network density and racial homophily.

Conclusions:

• Highlighting perceived similarities between students and their peers may be an effective intervention strategy for enhancing belonging.
• Interventions should focus on subjective perceptions of similarity, not just objective behavioral congruence.
• Social network structures influence how behavioral differences impact belonging.