Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Being in the minority boosts in-group love:Explanations and boundary conditions
Roman Angel Gallardo1, Austin Smith1, Uri Zak2
1Booth School of Business, University of Chicago.
Abstract:
People appreciate members of their in-group, and they cooperate with them-tendencies we refer to as in-group love. Being a member of a minority (vs. majority) is a common experience that varies both between groups in a context and within a group between contexts, but how does it affect in-group love? Across six studies, we examined when and why being in the minority boosts in-group love. In Study 1, being in the minority boosted people's appreciation of various real-life in-groups but not out-groups. In Study 2, a real-life interaction between and within groups, people cooperated more with minority in-group (but not minority out-group) members. In Studies 3-6, we measured cooperation (Study 3, incentive-compatible), appreciation (Studies 4-6), and four mediators: perceived in-group distinctiveness, experienced in-group belongingness, expected in-group cooperation, and perceived in-group status. These four mediators independently and simultaneously explained why being in the minority boosted in-group love. In Studies 5 and 6, we observed two theoretical boundary conditions for the effect. The size of the effect was smaller when the minority in-group had many (vs. few) members (Study 5), and when the imbalance between the in-group and out-group was either low or high (here: 46% minority and 54% majority or 20% minority and 80% majority) rather than moderate (here: 33% minority and 67% majority). We discuss how these findings align with and build on optimal distinctiveness theory and other theoretical accounts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
Related Concept Videos
Relationship Formation
In- and Out-Groups
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Impact of Groups on Groups
Factors Influencing Attraction III: Similarity
Causes of Similarity-Dissimilarity Effect

