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Remoteness decreases negative feelings about killing.
Gary S Katz1, Ryan M McManus2, Rebecca B Esquenazi3
1California State University, Northridge, Los Angeles, USA.
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications
|February 24, 2026
Summary
Technological advancements create psychological distance, reducing emotional responses to actions like killing. This remoteness, even in simulated tasks, lessens negative feelings and can increase engagement in harmful behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Sociology
Background:
- Modern technology enables actions at a distance, potentially altering psychological and behavioral responses.
- The psychological impact of remoteness, particularly concerning its effects on behavior, remains under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how psychological distance, induced by technology, affects emotional responses and behavior during a simulated killing task.
- To explore the mediating role of subjective distance in the relationship between remoteness and emotional/behavioral outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A controlled experiment with 205 participants performing an insect-killing task.
- Participants were assigned to either a close (in-person) or remote (via webcam) condition.
- Mediational analyses were used to examine the role of subjective distance.
Main Results:
- Participants in the remote condition reported fewer negative emotional consequences compared to those in the close condition.
- A significant indirect effect was found: remoteness led to less negative emotion, which in turn increased the number of insects killed.
- Subjective sense of distance from targets emerged as a key mediator of these effects.
Conclusions:
- Remoteness afforded by technology can significantly blunt immediate emotional responses to harmful actions.
- Psychological distance is a critical factor influencing behavior in technologically mediated contexts.
- Understanding these effects is crucial for applications ranging from military operations to civilian life.
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