Beyond perspective-taking: Mind-reading motivation

Mind-reading motivation (MRM) is an individual difference in individuals’ willingness to effortfully engage with other people’s perspectives and mental states, a tendency which has consequences for processes ranging from persuasion to teamwork. In four studies, we tested the effects of this unique social motivation in a variety of contexts. Study 1 demonstrated that levels of mind reading motivation are stable over time and distinct from mind-reading ability. Study 2 showed that MRM predicts more nuanced and detailed spontaneous descriptions of close others’ minds. Study 3 demonstrated effects of MRM on persuasion: matching the source (salient mind versus not) to individuals’ levels of MRM increased elaboration. Study 4 demonstrated that MRM directly increases individuals’ perceptions of co-leadership during a dyadic task, in turn affecting joint performance as a pair. Individual differences in MRM thus have consequences in both laboratory and social contexts.