community influences your behavior essay

Community Essay Examples

When crafting your college applications, writing strong essays is essential. Through your essays, you demonstrate who you are–from your values and passions to your lived experiences. Indeed the personal statement is the most common college essay. However, you will also likely have to write some supplemental essays as part of your college application requirements. One of the most common supplemental essay types is the community essay. This essay type is also known as a describe the community you live in essay, cultural diversity essay, or community service essay.

In this article, we will introduce several community essay examples. Most importantly, we’ll describe why they are considered college essays that worked. Specifically, we will share community essay examples from the two schools:

• Princeton University
• Columbia University

By studying these admissions essay samples, you can see what makes these college community essay examples strong and apply those same principles to your writing.

Reviewing Types of College Essays

Each school has different supplemental essay prompts for their college application requirements. However, there are a few types of essays that are most common. By becoming familiar with these essay types, you can begin to brainstorm and strategize what you will write about early on. You might start as early as sophomore or junior year in high school. 

Now, let’s take a look at the most common supplementary essay questions.

Common Supplementary Essay Questions

1. why school.

A Why School essay is, as it sounds, about why you wish to attend a specific institution. The key to answering this prompt well is to be specific. You should identify examples of what you like about a school. Avoid general comments such as “it is a top school” or “it is diverse.” Share specific programs, professors, teaching approaches, cultural elements, or unique opportunities such as research or study abroad.

2. Why Major

The Why Major essay asks you to share specific reasons behind your choice of major and how it relates to your future goals. A strong response to a Why Major essay will highlight your specific motivations. But it will also connect those motivations to a school’s unique opportunities. For example, perhaps you wish to be a pre-law history major, and the school you are applying to offers law-related internships. By highlighting these specific connections, you draw a compelling connection between yourself and the school.

3. Extracurricular Activity

Many schools ask you to describe an extracurricular activity that is particularly meaningful for you. When responding to this question, do not feel limited to only talk about the most popular extracurricular activities for college applications, like clubs or sports. Consider all of the activities you do outside of school. Then choose the one that is most meaningful to you. Also, give specific examples of how you grew or made an impact within your extracurricular activities for college.

4. Community Essay

The Community Essay can have slightly different angles to it. But, the uniting factor is that the school wants to know how you engage with others around you. Some types of community essays are a describe the community you live in essay or a cultural diversity essay. In recent years, the cultural diversity essay has been a more common college application requirement.

Coming up, we will share a bit more about how to break down community essay prompts. We’ll also take a look at college essays that worked. By reading these examples, you’ll know how to approach these common prompts.

How to identify a community essay?

While community essays can have slightly different focuses, they all share the goal of learning about where you come from. A supplemental essay prompt might ask you to share more about your background via a group you are part of. This is likely a community essay. Indeed, a community essay can also be called a describe the community you live in essay, or a cultural diversity essay. Other college community essay examples focus on how you will contribute to a college campus. Finally, in a describe a community you belong to essay example, you will see that students highlight any community that is meaningful to them.

You may be wondering why so many colleges have community essays as a college application requirement. For one, many colleges use a holistic admissions process. This means they care about all aspects of who you are, not simply your grades and test scores. How you engage with your communities shows them your character and values. For example, a describe the community you live in essay example about visiting church every Sunday demonstrates your commitment to religion. Similarly, a cultural diversity essay helps colleges learn more about your cultural background. 

Additionally, colleges want to learn more about how you will engage with their on-campus community. You’ll notice this important factor in the college community essay examples we will share. To some degree, how you have engaged with previous communities can be an indicator of how you will show up on their campus.

How is a community essay different?

As we mentioned, community essays can have slightly different focuses. Some prompts ask you to write a describe the community you live in essay. These types of community essays are more like cultural diversity essays. 

Keep in mind that the word “community” can have many different meanings. A community can be your school, church, or neighborhood. It could also stem from your interests. For example, your dance or robotics team can form your community.

Some community essay prompts want to know specifically how you help strengthen your communities. These types of essays are considered a community service essay. Another term for community service is “civic engagement.” An example of civic engagement might be getting people in your cultural community to sign up to vote. Or, another could be helping with church fundraisers to ensure that your local community has the resources it needs to thrive. 

In sum, the keywords you might see in a community essay prompt are “civic engagement,” “community service,” “serve your community,” “contribute to your community,” or “diversity.” No matter how it’s phrased, your essay should demonstrate the impact you’ve had on your community–whichever one you choose to highlight. 

What are some examples of community essays?

In this article, we will share several community essay examples. Specifically, we will highlight Princeton essay examples and Columbia essays examples. Let’s look at these two colleges’ essay prompts. 

The first Princeton supplemental essay prompt is a part of our college community essay examples and our cultural diversity essay examples. Here is the prompt:

Princeton Community Essay Prompt #1: Cultural Diversity Essay and College Community Essay Examples

Princeton values community and encourages students, faculty, staff and leadership to engage in respectful conversations that can expand their perspectives and challenge their ideas and beliefs. as a prospective member of this community, reflect on how your lived experiences will impact the conversations you will have in the classroom, the dining hall or other campus spaces. what lessons have you learned in life thus far what will your classmates learn from you in short, how has your lived experience shaped you  (please respond in 500 words or fewer.).

In this cultural diversity essay prompt, Princeton wants to know about your lived experiences. By this, they refer to any experiences that have shaped you profoundly. A lived experience can be a specific event, such as experiencing a car crash or winning an award. Or, it could be a set of experiences that resulted from life circumstances, such as being a first-generation college student or having taken a gap year .

This essay prompt will also lead to college community essay examples. Indeed Princeton wants to read about your lived experiences and how they impacted you. But, they also want to know how you will bring those lessons to the Princeton community, should you enroll . Also, note that this prompt mentions challenging ideas and beliefs via conversation. As you respond, look for ways to highlight how you have engaged in fruitful dialogue and how you would do so at Princeton.

To answer this prompt effectively, share specific examples. Additionally, be sure to answer all parts of the prompt. 

Princeton has a second supplemental essay prompt that focuses on how you engage with your community outside of the classroom. The prompt is as follows: 

Princeton Community Essay Prompt #2: Civic Engagement

Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. how does your own story intersect with these ideals (250 words or fewer) .

To answer this prompt well, you must highlight specific examples of how you have positively impacted your community. As a starting point, consider which of your communities you have most engaged with. How have you done so and what results did you have?

The Columbia Community Essay Prompt is another of our college community essay examples. It is a cultural diversity essay, as well. Here is the prompt: 

Columbia Community Essay Prompt: A Cultural Diversity Essay

A hallmark of the columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to columbia’s diverse and collaborative community. (150 words or fewer).

While this prompt is similar to Princeton’s, it also references perspectives and viewpoints. In doing so, the prompt opens you up to share opinions or values that are important to you. You might consider highlighting values in your family or community that you either hold close or disagree with. 

Note that Columbia also highlights the word “collaborative” in this prompt. This indicates that your cultural diversity essay should also show how you collaborate with others.

Which schools require a community essay?

In addition to Princeton and Columbia, many other schools have community essays as part of their college application requirements. Here are some other examples of community essay prompts:

In this UNC-Chapel Hill prompt , you must describe a specific example of how you made an impact on a community. The prompt reads:

The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill: A Community Service Essay Prompt

Discuss one of your personal qualities and share a story, anecdote, or memory of how it helped you make a positive impact on a community. this could be your current community or another community you have engaged. (250-word limit).

In responding, be sure to highlight what community you are referencing, the specific impact you made, and what personal quality helped you do so.

This prompt from UMichigan is a describe a community you belong to essay example, as well as a cultural diversity essay:

The University of Michigan: Describe a Community You Belong to Essay Example

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. (required for all applicants. 1,500 character limit.).

In addition to describing the community, make sure to share how you engage with it and what it has taught you. Remember that community is a broad term. So, for this prompt you can respond with any type of community in mind, whether physical or cultural. In contrast to the describe the community you live in essay, you do not have to be geographically close to the community you describe here.

Duke University: Cultural Diversity Essay Prompts

Duke offers students five supplemental prompts to choose from, of which they can reply to two. Of these supplemental prompts, four are examples of cultural diversity essays:

1. We believe a wide range of viewpoints, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to maintaining Duke as a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.

2. we believe there is benefit in sharing or questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with what are you agreeing or disagreeing about, 3. duke’s commitment to inclusion and belonging includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. feel free to share with us more about how your identity in this context has meaning for you as an individual or as a member of a community., 4. we recognize that not fully “fitting in” a community or place can sometimes be difficult. duke values the effort, resilience, and independence that may require. feel free to share with us circumstances where something about you is different and how that’s influenced your experiences or identity..

Each of these prompts is a slightly different type of cultural diversity essay, from sharing a range of opinions to not fitting in within a community. Choose the essay prompts that most resonate with you. And share specific examples that bring your cultural diversity essay to life.

In this Yale University supplemental prompt , you must choose a community that you feel connected to and describe why it is meaningful. Here’s the prompt:

Yale University: Describe a Community You Belong to Essay Example

Reflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected. why is this community meaningful to you you may define community however you like. (400-word limit).

When responding, be sure to highlight what you have learned or how you have grown from this community. In contrast to a describe the community you live in essay, this essay can be about any community, near or far, that resonates with you. Indeed, the prompt gives you plenty of leeway in what you consider community. 

When responding to the UC system prompts , you must choose four of the eight available personal insight questions. One of the PIQs is a community service essay prompt:

The University of California Personal Insight Question: A Community Service Prompt

What have you done to make your school or your community a better place, things to consider: think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. you can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community, why were you inspired to act what did you learn from your effort how did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community.

Similar to many of the other prompts, when answering this question, be sure to identify the specific impact you made on your community.

Now that we have looked at various examples of community essay prompts, we can explore community essay examples. Reading essay examples is a great way to get inspired to write your own college essays. 

In each of the highlighted college essays that worked, note what the author did expertly. Rather than trying to copy their responses, topics, or ideas, consider how you can apply those same skills to your writing. 

Princeton Community Essay Examples

In this section, we will highlight Princeton essay examples that respond to their two community essay prompts: a cultural diversity essay and a community service essay. 

The first of our Princeton essay examples responds to the following Princeton prompt: 

Princeton Essay Examples #1: Cultural Diversity Essay

Now, let’s take a look at a student’s response to this prompt focusing on lived experiences. 

Princeton Essay Examples #1 Student Response

I have spent most of my life living in a 41% minority town of 1.8 square miles called Highland Park, NJ. This typically overlooked town has introduced me to a diverse array of people, and it has been the main influence on my life experiences and core values.

In the face of distinct cultures and customs, we forge a single identity as Highland Parkers and come together to organize large community events. The most prevalent example is our highly touted annual Memorial Day parade, where we join together with neighboring New Brunswick to invite military service members, family members of our fallen war heroes, our legislative and congressional representatives, and our townspeople. Moreover, as our high school band’s vice president, I help organize and lead our ensemble into these performances with a positive and uplifting spirit. We communicate with the town government and arrange the performances every year to perform at the parade. The parade is an example of many of our large community events that serve as a unifying force for our diverse community, reminding us that we are fundamentally connected as one cohesive group, despite our differences. 

As someone deeply interested in historical and political matters, I am well aware of the consequences that arise from dictatorial protocols that limit the freedom of speech and diversity of voices. From my experiences debating in Model UN conferences, I have grown accustomed to being able to present viewpoints from both sides of the argument, and I have learned to incorporate and respect the viewpoints of all sides of an issue before making up my own mind. For example, in a Model Congress debate, I found myself advocating for the interests of a state heavily reliant on traditional fossil fuels. While researching and articulating that perspective, I gained insights into the economic challenges faced by the states that are reliant on these resources. This experience not only broadened my understanding of the complexities surrounding environmental policies but also highlighted the necessity of considering diverse viewpoints for comprehensive decision-making. 

My background and experiences have fostered in me a profound appreciation for the value of diversity, inclusivity, and the pursuit of knowledge. At Princeton University, I will seek to contribute as an active participant in the community, actively provide unique perspectives and insights, and respect and learn from others’ perspectives even if there are disagreements. I wish to partake in student government, which has like-minded peers who want to make a substantive impact, and also participate in service programs like the Civic Leadership Council. Also, I hope to increase my impact from the leadership positions I currently hold on the Red Cross club and teen mayoral advisory council using the platforms in Princeton. I look forward to making a positive impact on both the campus and the broader community. 

Why This Cultural Diversity Essay Worked

In the first of our Princeton essay examples, the student successfully responds to all parts of the Princeton prompt. They begin by describing their community and sharing some details about its makeup. Indeed, the first sentence hooks the reader–it is unique and compelling. 

Then, the student illustrates how they specifically contribute to their community each year by leading the high school band in the Memorial Day parade. They also highlight how their experience in Model UN shaped their appreciation for diverse perspectives. In sharing these two examples, the student demonstrates their leadership and open-minded thinking. Finally, the student ends by highlighting how they would use these values to contribute to Princeton’s community– by partaking in student government and Civic Leadership Council, among other activities.

In the second of our Princeton essay examples, the student responds to the second Princeton prompt which is: 

Princeton Essay Examples #2: A Community Service Essay

Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. how does your own story intersect with these ideals (250 words or fewer).

And, here is a student’s response:

Princeton Essay Examples #2 Student Response

My first experience with the Red Cross was when my older sister was desperately trying to recruit people to join the club during the harsh COVID year. Things were so bad for the club that I, as a freshman, ran for the position of treasurer unopposed. My first blood drive experience was marked by masks, social distancing, and low turnout among blood donors. Even many donors who showed up ended up being turned away due to health-related issues. Needless to say, it was not the greatest first high school service experience, and I admittedly started to doubt if the time I spent on this front was worth it. 

However, as we returned in person, things quickly turned around. As the vice president of the club, I helped recruit more than twice the club membership compared to the previous year, and our blood drives started to regain momentum; our blood targets have been exceeded every time since. Organizing and participating in blood drives has become a passion. It’s fulfilling, especially when I personally donate, to know that I’m actively serving the community and saving lives. I have realized that, despite my relatively young age, I am capable of making an impact through public service. I plan to continue my commitment to the Red Cross’s adult program and participate in service programs like Community Action at Princeton to serve the Princeton community and abroad.

Why This Essay Worked

In this admissions essay sample, we learn about a student’s volunteerism with the Red Cross as an example of civic engagement. This essay works for several reasons. First, it provides a specific example of the student’s civic engagement and demonstrates their impact by becoming vice president and increasing membership. Secondly, the essay provides an honest take on the struggles of this service experience, which lends credibility and authenticity to the story. 

The student also demonstrates an important lesson learned. This aligns with Princeton’s values– that students can have a positive impact on society. 

Columbia University Essay Examples

In this section, we will highlight Columbia essays examples that landed students admission to the prestigious Ivy League university. The first of our Columbia essays examples is written by the same student who responded to the first Princeton prompt above. Here’s a reminder of the Columbia prompt: 

As you read the example below, notice how the student edited their Princeton cultural diversity essay to meet the prompt and lower word count for Columbia:

I have spent most of my life living in a 41% minority town called Highland Park, NJ. This typically overlooked town has introduced me to a diverse array of people, and it has been the main influence on my life experiences and core values. 

HP has convinced me that we can build institutions that are strong and united while embracing a wide variety of voices and perspectives. It has shaped my core values of diversity and inclusion. An English teacher used to encourage me to talk in front of the class by saying even if I believed my thoughts were “dumb,” I could only enrich the conversation.

At Columbia University, I will seek to continue my contributions as an active participant in the community and look to actively provide unique perspectives and insights. Actively engaging in student groups such as ColumbiaVotes will be a big part of my experience. 

The Columbia essay prompt only allows for a 150-word response. This could pose a challenge for many students. What makes this essay among the Columbia essays examples that worked is how succinctly it completely answers the prompt. 

The response begins by hooking the reader with a relevant detail of the student’s community. Then, the student shares how this community shaped them by influencing their values of diversity and inclusion. Finally, the student shares how they would engage with a Columbia organization that also supports diverse viewpoints. Though short and sweet, this response clearly answers all parts of the Columbia prompt. 

More Community Essay Examples

The final of our community essay examples is a community service essay. Let’s look at how student framed their service experience:

“I don’t believe that’s the best way to do this.” 

The moment I thought this the first time I volunteered at my local soup kitchen was one that resulted in a drastic change. When I was informed of the way the food was being served to the public, the initial excitement that I had felt diminished. We were told that the plates would be served before anyone arrived and would remain in an area where people could pick it up and seat themselves. I felt that this method was impersonal and inconsiderate, and disappointment washed over me. 

I turned to the people that were around me and discovered that they shared the same disapproval I felt. When we agreed that a change must be made, we exchanged ideas on how to present this to the woman in charge of the program. I suggested that we should serve each person one-by-one, and only give them the food if they wanted to/could eat it. They suggested multiple ideas, including that we should offer to seat them, hold their plates for them, continue to check in on them, and dispose of their plates once they finish their meal. We believed that this way would genuinely make them feel better and would allow us to get to know some of them personally. A simple smile and conversation could be enough to improve their day. 

From this day on, the way in which the local soup kitchen serves our community has changed dramatically. This experience taught me the importance of speaking up for what you believe in. In a group setting, it is likely that there will be others who share the same end goal and are willing to contribute different ideas to achieve the goal. These different perspectives can allow you to see situations in ways that you previously hadn’t, and can result in better outcomes. It also showed me the importance of leadership.

If I had never spoken up about the way the food was being served, a change might have never happened. When you work in the group, the end goal may not be for the benefit of anyone in the group, but for others who are in need. This experience also showed me the beauty in doing good for others and making others happy, even through small things such as serving them food to their liking.

In this community service essay, the student shares their experience volunteering at a soup kitchen. Volunteering at a soup kitchen is not necessarily unique in the list of extracurricular activities for college applications. However, the student highlights several aspects of the experience that make it meaningful to them. 

To start, the student shares their experience challenging the way that food was served. The student suggested that food be served directly to attendees in order to better connect with community members. Through this experience, the student learns about leadership and working with others to achieve a common goal. This specific example demonstrates the student’s collaborative values and compassionate way of thinking, both of which are great attributes to highlight in college applications.

How To Write A Community Essay

As we saw in the community essay examples, there are several hallmarks of college essays that worked. To write a good community essay, whether it be a community service essay, a cultural diversity essay, or a describe the community you live in essay, you must start by understanding the prompt. Once you have carefully read through the prompt, brainstorm examples from your own life that relate to it. Sharing specific details and examples will make your response stronger and more unique. 

Additionally, showcase how you grew throughout your response. In each of the community essay examples we shared, the student discussed a skill or perspective they developed through their experiences. Finally, connect your response to the school you are applying to. If you are writing a cultural diversity essay, for example, demonstrate how you would contribute to the cultural diversity at that school, both inside the classroom and in your extracurricular activities for college.  

Topics To Avoid In Your Community Essay

When writing community essays, there is technically no topic that you cannot discuss. However, how you discuss certain topics is important. 

For example, in a community service essay, it is important to not come off as a savior of a community with less privilege than yourself. Similarly, if you are writing a describe the community you live in essay or a cultural diversity essay, you will want to avoid stereotyping any community. Speaking from your own personal experience as a member of a community is fine. However, generalizing your experience to the community at large can come across as insensitive to that community’s diversity. To avoid these pitfalls, have a variety of people read your community essay examples and look for these dynamics.

Additional Tips for Community Essays

We’ve highlighted the strengths in the community essay examples above. Now we will now share some more tips for making your community essays a strong part of your college applications:

Tips for Writing Community Essays

1. research the college.

When reviewing our college community essay examples, you will notice that students highlight specific clubs, programs, or groups on campus to which they will contribute. If you are specific, you demonstrate real interest in the school which adds strength to your college applications.

2. Tell a story

In each of the college essays that worked, students gave details that told a full story . This story incorporated where they come from and what they learned through their experiences. Rather than telling us who they were, the students used this particular story to show us.

As the college admissions landscape gets ever more competitive, students are sometimes tempted to read other students’ essays and copy ideas. Or, more recently, they may even want to use artificial intelligence to write their essays. However, AI and other students’ experiences won’t show admissions who you really are. Don’t worry about whether you have the best extracurricular activities for college or the most unique cultural diversity essay. Instead, talk about the experiences that truly matter to you. By being honest, you are more likely to come across as convincing and interesting. In each of our college community essay examples, students presented a true and well-thought-out response to the prompts.

Other CollegeAdvisor Essay Resources to Explore 

As you work on your college applications, you might be in search of additional resources. CollegeAdvisor has a wealth of webinars and articles that can help you navigate writing your essays. Here are a few:

More CollegeAdvisor Resources for Essays

1. short essay examples.

Some of the cultural diversity essays you may write will be short, meaning that they are 150 words or less. This article with short essay examples can help you understand how to write short and sweet cultural diversity essays.

2. Cultural Diversity Essay Examples

In this article , you will find additional examples of cultural diversity essays. Many community essays are also cultural diversity essays. As such, becoming familiar with how students write about their cultures is useful.

3. The Ultimate Guide to Supplemental Essays

In this webinar , CollegeAdvisor experts provide a rundown of how to write strong supplemental essays for your college applications. In particular, this webinar will help you decode essay prompts and make sure you answer each prompt fully.

4. Editing Your Supplemental Essays

Once you have read up on college community essay examples and written your cultural diversity essays, you might need help editing them. This webinar will provide tips for how to edit your supplemental essays effectively.

Community Essay Examples – Final Thoughts

Completing your college applications can be a daunting task, especially when you must write multiple essays. For some students, writing cultural diversity essays is challenging. These prompts ask you to dig deep and reflect upon your life influences.

In this guide to community essays, we provided an overview of what a community essay is and how to respond to the different types of community essay prompts. We shared cultural diversity essay examples and describe the community you live in essay examples. We also described what makes these essays strong and how they meet college application requirements. 

In short, the key to writing stand-out essays is to be authentic and thorough in your responses. If you need additional help writing your cultural diversity essay, seek out the support of a trusted resource like CollegeAdvisor. We are here to help you craft the best college applications that could gain you admissions to the school of your dreams!

This article was written by Courtney Ng. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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Written by Terence Hockett • March 3, 2022 • 5:34 am • Community

How Does One’s Community Affect and Influence Their Personality?

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Home Essay Samples Sociology Community

How Does Community Influence You: Shaping Identity, Values

Table of contents, defining identity through community, molding values and beliefs, fostering aspirations and goals, influencing cultural and social perspective, nurturing a sense of responsibility, inspiring acts of kindness, conclusion: a lasting influence.

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Social Influences on Behavior Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
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Social influences are things that alter or influence an individual’s feelings, conduct, opinions, or actions. Both sociologists and psychologists find this concept of great value, for example, social influence is a pivotal tool for marketing, smoking and many more.

Among the very many things under focus when handling the concept of social influence is how external factors affect behavior of certain faction or discrete individuals. In other words, nobody is exclusive of social influence as it can occur in any social condition. For instance, let us take prejudice, attraction and love as examples of social influences. It is quite apparent that prejudice develops feelings of misery or hate.

On the other hand, love and attraction brings feelings that an individual can help one up. Whether positive or negative, these conditions can light a rollercoaster ride in the brain and make an individual change from being irate to blissful or from cheerful to fuming, within a split second. Thus, undoubtedly, love and prejudice remains two paramount circumstances that induce sturdy feelings in humans-the chieftains of human behavior in society (Ainette & Carmella, 2011, p.1).

According to Kowalski and Westen (2009), schemas are the vital blueprint of thoughts, which systematize experience and direct the processing of information about human beings and situation. They go on saying that for this to occur, an impression of a person is necessary before anything else. Their work shows people that develop the first impression by observing the behavior of outgoing and attractive individuals.

Thus, if a person appears shy and reticent, the observer will have a shoddier first impression. In short, the first impression, either good or bad, forms the source of social behaviors. For instance, prejudice can make people behave imperfectly bearing in mind many people do not like the idea of becoming outcasts due to stereotype. It is thus important to note that the first impressions are the antecedent from where love and prejudice emanate.

Ordinarily, prejudice comes when a certain faction of people discriminate an individual either by race or color. Interestingly, the group has a leader who forces others to believe in discrimination. Although some members may be aware that what they are doing is wrong, they find themselves in a sorry state, as any resistance to what the group believes will makes them outcasts. Additionally, it is important to note that the group has an influencing power to facilitate socially how every member conducts himself or herself.

At the same time, no member of the group risks being an outcast by opposing others. Such cases are more common in children as compared to adults. As Kowalski and Westen notes, no substantive amount of salutary intercession can stop people from practicing prejudice and stereotyping. This is because many people follow the crowd irrespective of whether he crowd is doing the right thing or not. Perhaps this is the reason why in the contemporary world; altruism is something hard to come across (pp. 8-27).

Another component of social influence is the sensation of attraction and falling in love. The two, love and attraction, can develop as a first impression, in this case, directed towards a certain individual.

Noticeably, the foremost thing that a person keenly observes in a person of the opposite sex is of course, the physical appearance of that individual. Depending on personal preferences and even culture, each person has different assertions on the characteristics that attract him or her most. Nevertheless, it is important to note that at first sight, the first impression about someone is the paramount thing.

Any behavior of the sensation of attraction or love towards someone comes later. Undoubtedly, social researchers quickly assert that love is brings out the feeling of contentment and self-assurance in human beings. In most cases, where love exists, altruism comes into action, since the persons involved ends up being happy and better than they were (Schueler, 1997, p.1).

Studies show that love as complex as it is, exhibits itself as evolutionary and biological. In most cases, the studies explain the genesis of love as biological. However, it is important to note that due to social interactions, social groupings, social loafing and groupthink; the nature of love has made it easier to modify it into an assortment of cultures.

On the other hand, love exhibits itself when human beings protect their progeny. Nevertheless, some instances can make love plummet amid its disassociation from intervention of any type. For example, if one person becomes abusive due to stress or jealousy, then the concept of love as an ingredient of social influence ceases.

Captivatingly, some people may choose to remain in an abusive relationship just because they love their partners. Apparently, such situations require a certain therapy to deal with. In other words, love and prejudice are paramount circumstances that we cannot do without, simply because each one of them tries to accomplish various genuses of biological and evolutionary demands. For instance, prejudice pleads for inclusivity in major social groupings.

On the other hand, no human being likes being alone. All human being desires to associate with other people hence, the concept of love. It is also important to note that love is a fundamental necessitate for reproduction and survival. Perhaps this is the reason why people appear to care for others and making sure that the lineage survives (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, pp. 31-76).

In conclusion, so far, love and prejudice remain the strongest social influences on how human beings conduct themselves. From the two emanate an assortment of motions that range from irritation to hopelessness to self-assurance and happiness. Without any doubt, the behavior of people can affect the attitude and self-esteem of other people in social loafing. Social influence can also affect individual personality and behavior, and sometimes lead to discrimination.

Reference List

Ainette, M. & Carmella, W. (2011). Social Influence. Behavioral Research . Web.

Kowalski, R., & Westen, D. (2009). Psychology . (5th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley and Sons.

Schueler, G. (1997). Social Influence on Behavior. Web.

• Actions Speaks Louder than Words
• An integrated model of personality based upon the various models
• Media Violence and Altruism
• Altruism and social behavior
• The Attainment and Sustenance of Creativity in a Team
• Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection
• Social Imagination Theory
• Towards Evaluating the Relationship Between Gender Stereotypes & Culture
• Psychological Aspect of Generosity Acts
• Muammar Gaddafi's Personality Matrix
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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How to Write the Community Essay – Guide with Examples (2023-24)

September 6, 2023

Students applying to college this year will inevitably confront the community essay. In fact, most students will end up responding to several community essay prompts for different schools. For this reason, you should know more than simply how to approach the community essay as a genre. Rather, you will want to learn how to decipher the nuances of each particular prompt, in order to adapt your response appropriately. In this article, we’ll show you how to do just that, through several community essay examples. These examples will also demonstrate how to avoid cliché and make the community essay authentically and convincingly your own.

Emphasis on Community

Do keep in mind that inherent in the word “community” is the idea of multiple people. The personal statement already provides you with a chance to tell the college admissions committee about yourself as an individual. The community essay, however, suggests that you depict yourself among others. You can use this opportunity to your advantage by showing off interpersonal skills, for example. Or, perhaps you wish to relate a moment that forged important relationships. This in turn will indicate what kind of connections you’ll make in the classroom with college peers and professors.

Apart from comprising numerous people, a community can appear in many shapes and sizes. It could be as small as a volleyball team, or as large as a diaspora. It could fill a town soup kitchen, or spread across five boroughs. In fact, due to the internet, certain communities today don’t even require a physical place to congregate. Communities can form around a shared identity, shared place, shared hobby, shared ideology, or shared call to action. They can even arise due to a shared yet unforeseen circumstance.

What is the Community Essay All About?             

In a nutshell, the community essay should exhibit three things:

• An aspect of yourself, 2. in the context of a community you belonged to, and 3. how this experience may shape your contribution to the community you’ll join in college.

It may look like a fairly simple equation: 1 + 2 = 3. However, each college will word their community essay prompt differently, so it’s important to look out for additional variables. One college may use the community essay as a way to glimpse your core values. Another may use the essay to understand how you would add to diversity on campus. Some may let you decide in which direction to take it—and there are many ways to go!

To get a better idea of how the prompts differ, let’s take a look at some real community essay prompts from the current admission cycle.

Sample 2023-2024 Community Essay Prompts

1) brown university.

“Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community. (200-250 words)”

A close reading of this prompt shows that Brown puts particular emphasis on place. They do this by using the words “home,” “College Hill,” and “where they came from.” Thus, Brown invites writers to think about community through the prism of place. They also emphasize the idea of personal growth or change, through the words “inspired or challenged you.” Therefore, Brown wishes to see how the place you grew up in has affected you. And, they want to know how you in turn will affect their college community.

“NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world-class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience.

We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community. Please respond in 250 words or less.”

Here, NYU places an emphasis on students’ “identity,” “backgrounds,” and “diversity,” rather than any physical place. (For some students, place may be tied up in those ideas.) Furthermore, while NYU doesn’t ask specifically how identity has changed the essay writer, they do ask about your “experience.” Take this to mean that you can still recount a specific moment, or several moments, that work to portray your particular background. You should also try to link your story with NYU’s values of inclusivity and opportunity.

3) University of Washington

“Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW. (300 words max) Tip: Keep in mind that the UW strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values and viewpoints.”

UW ’s community essay prompt may look the most approachable, for they help define the idea of community. You’ll notice that most of their examples (“families,” “cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood”…) place an emphasis on people. This may clue you in on their desire to see the relationships you’ve made. At the same time, UW uses the words “individual” and “richly diverse.” They, like NYU, wish to see how you fit in and stand out, in order to boost campus diversity.

Writing Your First Community Essay

Begin by picking which community essay you’ll write first. (For practical reasons, you’ll probably want to go with whichever one is due earliest.) Spend time doing a close reading of the prompt, as we’ve done above. Underline key words. Try to interpret exactly what the prompt is asking through these keywords.

Next, brainstorm. I recommend doing this on a blank piece of paper with a pencil. Across the top, make a row of headings. These might be the communities you’re a part of, or the components that make up your identity. Then, jot down descriptive words underneath in each column—whatever comes to you. These words may invoke people and experiences you had with them, feelings, moments of growth, lessons learned, values developed, etc. Now, narrow in on the idea that offers the richest material and that corresponds fully with the prompt.

Lastly, write! You’ll definitely want to describe real moments, in vivid detail. This will keep your essay original, and help you avoid cliché. However, you’ll need to summarize the experience and answer the prompt succinctly, so don’t stray too far into storytelling mode.

How To Adapt Your Community Essay

Once your first essay is complete, you’ll need to adapt it to the other colleges involving community essays on your list. Again, you’ll want to turn to the prompt for a close reading, and recognize what makes this prompt different from the last. For example, let’s say you’ve written your essay for UW about belonging to your swim team, and how the sports dynamics shaped you. Adapting that essay to Brown’s prompt could involve more of a focus on place. You may ask yourself, how was my swim team in Alaska different than the swim teams we competed against in other states?

Once you’ve adapted the content, you’ll also want to adapt the wording to mimic the prompt. For example, let’s say your UW essay states, “Thinking back to my years in the pool…” As you adapt this essay to Brown’s prompt, you may notice that Brown uses the word “reflection.” Therefore, you might change this sentence to “Reflecting back on my years in the pool…” While this change is minute, it cleverly signals to the reader that you’ve paid attention to the prompt, and are giving that school your full attention.

What to Avoid When Writing the Community Essay  

• Avoid cliché. Some students worry that their idea is cliché, or worse, that their background or identity is cliché. However, what makes an essay cliché is not the content, but the way the content is conveyed. This is where your voice and your descriptions become essential.
• Avoid giving too many examples. Stick to one community, and one or two anecdotes arising from that community that allow you to answer the prompt fully.
• Don’t exaggerate or twist facts. Sometimes students feel they must make themselves sound more “diverse” than they feel they are. Luckily, diversity is not a feeling. Likewise, diversity does not simply refer to one’s heritage. If the prompt is asking about your identity or background, you can show the originality of your experiences through your actions and your thinking.

Community Essay Examples and Analysis

Brown university community essay example.

I used to hate the NYC subway. I’ve taken it since I was six, going up and down Manhattan, to and from school. By high school, it was a daily nightmare. Spending so much time underground, underneath fluorescent lighting, squashed inside a rickety, rocking train car among strangers, some of whom wanted to talk about conspiracy theories, others who had bedbugs or B.O., or who manspread across two seats, or bickered—it wore me out. The challenge of going anywhere seemed absurd. I dreaded the claustrophobia and disgruntlement.

Yet the subway also inspired my understanding of community. I will never forget the morning I saw a man, several seats away, slide out of his seat and hit the floor. The thump shocked everyone to attention. What we noticed: he appeared drunk, possibly homeless. I was digesting this when a second man got up and, through a sort of awkward embrace, heaved the first man back into his seat. The rest of us had stuck to subway social codes: don’t step out of line. Yet this second man’s silent actions spoke loudly. They said, “I care.”

That day I realized I belong to a group of strangers. What holds us together is our transience, our vulnerabilities, and a willingness to assist. This community is not perfect but one in motion, a perpetual work-in-progress. Now I make it my aim to hold others up. I plan to contribute to the Brown community by helping fellow students and strangers in moments of precariousness.    

Brown University Community Essay Example Analysis

Here the student finds an original way to write about where they come from. The subway is not their home, yet it remains integral to ideas of belonging. The student shows how a community can be built between strangers, in their responsibility toward each other. The student succeeds at incorporating key words from the prompt (“challenge,” “inspired” “Brown community,” “contribute”) into their community essay.

UW Community Essay Example

I grew up in Hawaii, a world bound by water and rich in diversity. In school we learned that this sacred land was invaded, first by Captain Cook, then by missionaries, whalers, traders, plantation owners, and the U.S. government. My parents became part of this problematic takeover when they moved here in the 90s. The first community we knew was our church congregation. At the beginning of mass, we shook hands with our neighbors. We held hands again when we sang the Lord’s Prayer. I didn’t realize our church wasn’t “normal” until our diocese was informed that we had to stop dancing hula and singing Hawaiian hymns. The order came from the Pope himself.

Eventually, I lost faith in God and organized institutions. I thought the banning of hula—an ancient and pure form of expression—seemed medieval, ignorant, and unfair, given that the Hawaiian religion had already been stamped out. I felt a lack of community and a distrust for any place in which I might find one. As a postcolonial inhabitant, I could never belong to the Hawaiian culture, no matter how much I valued it. Then, I was shocked to learn that Queen Ka’ahumanu herself had eliminated the Kapu system, a strict code of conduct in which women were inferior to men. Next went the Hawaiian religion. Queen Ka’ahumanu burned all the temples before turning to Christianity, hoping this religion would offer better opportunities for her people.

Community Essay (Continued)

I’m not sure what to make of this history. Should I view Queen Ka’ahumanu as a feminist hero, or another failure in her islands’ tragedy? Nothing is black and white about her story, but she did what she thought was beneficial to her people, regardless of tradition. From her story, I’ve learned to accept complexity. I can disagree with institutionalized religion while still believing in my neighbors. I am a product of this place and their presence. At UW, I plan to add to campus diversity through my experience, knowing that diversity comes with contradictions and complications, all of which should be approached with an open and informed mind.

UW Community Essay Example Analysis

This student also manages to weave in words from the prompt (“family,” “community,” “world,” “product of it,” “add to the diversity,” etc.). Moreover, the student picks one of the examples of community mentioned in the prompt, (namely, a religious group,) and deepens their answer by addressing the complexity inherent in the community they’ve been involved in. While the student displays an inner turmoil about their identity and participation, they find a way to show how they’d contribute to an open-minded campus through their values and intellectual rigor.

What’s Next

For more on supplemental essays and essay writing guides, check out the following articles:

• How to Write the Why This Major Essay + Example
• How to Write the Overcoming Challenges Essay + Example
• How to Start a College Essay – 12 Techniques and Tips
• College Essay

Kaylen Baker

With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.

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Middle Ground Essay: The Effect of Others

We spend our lives watching and responding to each other..

Spend time in any public space watching the crowds and you’ll see examples of what scientists call social influence— the varied ways people change their behavior because of the presence of others. Notice how individuals respond to orders and requests, go along with a group, mirror the actions of others, compete, and cooperate. We are finely tuned to the people around us, relying on each other for cues about how to behave so that we can efficiently navigate our social environments. The influence of others is so pervasive that we can experience it even when there is no real person there: we’ll adjust our behavior in response to an implied presence (say, a security camera and a No Trespassing sign) or an imagined one (“What would my mother say?”).

Social influence

You’ve almost certainly experienced it: unsure what to do in a situation, you look around to see what others are doing, and change your behavior to match.

Most of us don’t like to be called conformists (at least in Western societies, where individuality and uniqueness are prized), but going along with the crowd is a natural and often useful tendency. Humans evolved to live in groups; since early on, we’ve needed ways to smooth interactions, reduce conflict, and coordinate action. For example, traffic flows better—and more safely—if cars all drive in the same direction and pedestrians all cross the street together.  Conforming to the group can be a matter of survival.

The tendency to conform has two different roots. Sometimes, in confusing situations, we assume that other people know more than we do, so we follow their lead. That assumption might be right—but often it’s not. Say you’re walking by a building and see smoke coming out. Do you call 911? If other people look unconcerned, you might decide it’s not an emergency. But others may decide not to phone for help because you don’t look concerned. Scientists call this potential misinterpretation by a group pluralistic ignorance. It can lead to the bystander effect , where no one from a crowd steps forward to help in a situation where action is needed. It’s a paradox: the more people who witness an emergency, the less chance that any of them will act, because they’re all conforming to the group’s behavior.

The other reason people conform and go along with the crowd is that we all want to be liked and accepted. The desire to fit in is so strong that people sometimes conform to a group consensus even when it goes against their own judgment—at least in public. In private, they’re much more likely to follow their own minds.

When the pressure from others gets more explicit, conformity blends into another type of social influence: compliance, when we respond to a direct request made by someone else.

Social scientists have identified various compliance strategies, and you may be using some of them—or have been the target of them—without being aware of it. For example, if someone asks for a very small favor (“Can you tell me how to get to the library?”), and you comply, you’re more likely to agree with a second, larger request (“Oh no, that’s farther away than I thought—can you spare two bucks for the bus?”). This is called the foot-in-the-door technique . It works because complying with the first request shapes or reinforces our self-image (“I’m a helpful person!”), providing us with a rationale for agreeing to the second request (“That’s who I am—I help out when needed.”).

When pressure from others gets even stronger, it can lead to obedience —when we respond to a demand issued by an authority figure. The world is full of orders given by people who have power over us, either in person (the boss, a cop, your parent) or via written words (as on road signs). The pressure to conform in such situations can be extreme, and obedience can have a dark side. In one famous experiment , a researcher set up a situation where subjects had to decide whether to follow orders to inflict pain on another person. The disturbing results showed how hard it is for people to resist authority.

This experiment was done decades ago, in a different social time. Would today’s generation, supposedly more critical and less trusting of authority, respond the same way? Scientists recently ran a modified version of the study . The test subjects reacted similarly, confirming the powerful role of social influence.

People in groups

Social loafing.

Social influence also plays an important role when people work in groups. Much of this influence is direct or intentional—for example, we often work harder because our co-workers are depending on us to meet a deadline. But sometimes the mere presence of others can shape our behavior: As work groups grow larger, individual group members tend to decrease the effort they put in, especially when their individual contribution can’t be identified. This tendency is called social loafing . One of the first people to study social loafing was a French agricultural engineer who noticed that adding more farm workers to a job didn’t increase productivity as much as expected. In the early 1900s, he ran a series of simple experiments, having men pull carts either alone or together. In theory, two men should pull twice as much weight as a single man (200%). Instead, he found that together they pulled only 186% of the weight—each man pulled less than he had alone. The more men on the job, the less each one pulled individually. 

This tendency has been documented many times since, in various situations. It's affected somewhat by culture and circumstance—for example, workers from societies where interdependence is the norm tend to loaf less than those from more individualistic cultures—but it’s still universal. Does this mean that people are slackers? Not necessarily. When many hands are making light work, it’s reasonable to ease up a bit—as long as things are kept fair and everyone reduces their effort by the same amount. And there’s a certain logic to holding back if you believe your contribution isn’t important, or if it can’t be seen and recognized.

But when only some people loaf, the whole group suffers and its chances of success decrease. Voting in elections is one example. There are many reasons why people don’t vote, but social loafing can contribute to the problem. If you think that enough other people will vote and that the outcome will be fine without your participation, or that your vote doesn’t really matter, that might be enough to keep you away from the polls.

Given the potential problems with social loafing, how can we limit it? Social scientists have identified several effective strategies:

• Make personal efforts identifiable
• Ensure each person feels their effort is important
• Highlight that personal efforts will improve group performance
• Increase team spirit

Quick vs. slow thinking

We pay close attention to others, and often follow their lead. It’s natural to go along with a group—and there can be wisdom in crowds.

But before you follow, think for a minute. Where is the crowd headed? Would you go there on your own if the group wasn’t drawing you along?

Further Reading

Keshia Naurana Badalge (2017). “ Our Phones Make Us Feel Like Social-Media Activists, But They're Actually Turning Us Into Bystanders. ” (article)

Jerry M. Burger (2009).  “Replicating Milgram: Would People Still Obey Today?”   American Psychologist, 64(1), 1–11. (abstract)

Robert B. Cialdini (2007). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.  (book)

Steven J. Karau and Kipling D. Williams (1993). “ Social Loafing: A Meta-Analytic Review and Theoretical Integration. "  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 65(4):  681–706.   (abstract)

D.A. Kravitz and B. Martin (1986). " Ringelmann Rediscovered: The Original Article ." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(5): 93–941. (abstract)

How social environment influences people's behavior: A Critical Review

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9 (page 112) p. 112 How do we influence each other? Social Psychology

• Published: February 2000
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Human behaviour can only be properly understood if it is thought of as being directly or indirectly influenced by others. We change our behaviour if we are with others rather than alone (social facilitation). ‘How do we influence each other? Social Psychology’ looks at the influence of society on individual behaviour, considering issues such as leadership, obedience, prejudice, and conformity. These show that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviour are influenced by others. There are other areas of social psychology that are of interest to psychologists: group dynamics, bystander intervention, crowd behaviour, impression formation, and interpersonal attraction. The major challenge now is to find out more about facts which predict, control, or modify different types of behaviour.

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The Importance of Cultivating Community

Why we need each other..

Posted August 20, 2021 | Reviewed by Davia Sills

• Living in a community promotes our health and well-being.
• Our minds are relational and affected by the quality of our social connections.
• Community is built through acts of intentionality, vulnerability, and creativity.

Our relationships, more than anything else, set the stage for our health, happiness , and well-being. Research indicates that the quality of our social relationships affects a range of health outcomes, such as our mental health, physical health, and mortality risk (Umberson & Montez, 2010). These relational effects start in early childhood and lead to cascading effects throughout life, which can either positively or negatively impact our health and development.

We are relational beings in nature, and when we’re isolated or detached from a community, our health and mental health can quickly take a toll. Life is hard enough on its own. We’re not meant to go about it alone.

Research within the field of interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on our biological need for community. Thanks to the work of Dan Siegel and others, we learn the degree to which our minds themselves are both embodied and relational . In other words, what we experience in our minds is highly influenced by our relationships and shared connections with others. Our network of social supports serves as the most profound predictor of our health and well-being.

In other words, our diet , how often we journal, or the number of daily positive affirmations we repeat isn't nearly as important as the community we surround ourselves in. The social connections we have (or don’t have) can literally shape the physical structure and development of our brains, leading to integrated or disintegrated mental states. As Siegel notes in Aware , “Relationships are not icing on the cake; they are the cake. In fact, they are the main course as well as the dessert."

Here are some tips on ways to cultivate a community:

In order to benefit from a community, we have to be intentional about creating and maintaining one. This includes all of us introverts , too. For even we need regular social interaction with others. This means stepping out and starting new conversations, joining a new group, going out to lunch with co-workers, or re-connecting with old acquaintances. Although COVID-19 precautions can make this challenging, we can still further our connections virtually.

One of the best ways to do this, it seems, is through the phone. According to a study with the University of Texas at Austin, phone calls produced feelings of connectedness between two people, more so than emails or texts. Try calling an old friend or family member who lives far away. Our community doesn't have physical limits; distance doesn't need to separate us.

Embrace vulnerability.

In addition, the quality of our relationships often depends on how willing we are to be vulnerable with others and the degree to which we can respect others' vulnerabilities. According to Brene Brown, vulnerability refers to the feeling we experience during times of uncertainty, risk, or emotional exposure. And genuine, authentic friendships and relationships often require these emotional risks.

If we want to experience deeper relationships and shared connections with others, we have to be willing to share our struggles, hopes, and needs with those we come to know and trust. The vulnerability arises when we let our most authentic selves be truly seen and known by others, which is both the antidote to shame and bedrock for trust and connection.

Take the small steps.

Building a community doesn't mean we have to befriend every new person we see or fill up all our weekends with social encounters. A sense of community can be nurtured by taking small steps, like starting a conversation with your neighbor, checking in on a new co-worker, or stopping to say "hi" to a custodian. Building a sense of community starts with small, intentional acts of kindness and acknowledgment.

With feelings of isolation and mental health problems on the rise, now, more than ever, it's important to be intentional about connecting with our community. If indeed our relationships serve as the foundation for our health, happiness, and well-being, they deserve the time, energy, creativity , and sacrifice needed to strengthen and maintain them.

Umberson, D., & Montez, J. K. (2010). Social relationships and health: a flashpoint for health policy. Journal of health and social behavior, 51 Suppl(Suppl), S54–S66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146510383501

Elizabeth Dixon is a clinical social worker supporting child, family, and community resilience and well-being.

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It’s increasingly common for someone to be diagnosed with a condition such as ADHD or autism as an adult. A diagnosis often brings relief, but it can also come with as many questions as answers.

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How Does Society Influence One's Behavior?

Behavioral economics and nudge theory gets a bad reputation. Sometimes vilified as dark marketing, government interference, or self-serving paternalism, fears arise around the notion that such interventions infringe on individual rights.

Yet, the fact is that we very rarely make choices in isolation of outside influences.

"We are social beings, and thus, our choices are made in the context of social connections, personal relationships, and physical environments — all of which will have been influenced by other people."

Indeed, the very concept of behaviorally-influenced public policies, and the extent to which these can be effective, demonstrates how individuals respond to outside agency. Behavioral economics harnesses these human insights, and works on the premise that — both to help people individually and to have a positive impact on the widest number of people — individuals’ behavior can be influenced without restricting their liberties.

For example, when it comes to taxes on alcohol or sugar consumption, some argue that their body is their own, and thus they should be left to make their own decisions. To be sure, public health policy aims to provide the individuals with the utmost freedom in cases where the negative consequences of their behaviors can be internalized. However, it also holds that if there are externalities, or public costs, to these behaviors (as there often are), the government is justified in campaigning to reduce the incidence of such behaviors. Thus, it is not only that social forces influence our behaviors, but that, in turn, our behaviors impact societal outcomes.

The UK’s Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) use the framework MINDSPACE to aid the application of behavioral science to the policymaking process. They argue that the ideas captured in the mnemonic are ‘nine of the most robust influences on our behavior.’ These are as follows:

Whether it is acting in line with social norms, seeking ways to act that make us look good to others, or relying on category and perception to form our opinions of those with whom we interact, it is clear that these social components have an outsized impact on our individual behaviors. Let’s look at a few examples:

Messenger – interaction with others

In another classic example, the UK’s BIT worked with  HMRC  (the UK’s tax collection agency) to increase tax payments by sending out reminder letters stating that most people in the recipient’s area had paid their tax. The impetus for this intervention is the simple insight that no one wants to be the naughty individual in their community, and that reframing tax payment as not only a legal obligation but a social norm would increase compliance. The letters emphasizing the positive social norms produced a 15% higher response rate than the standard letter, and it has been estimated that if the approach was taken across the country, it could help to collect £160m extra tax revenues per year.

Norms – peer pressure

Commitment – a public declaration.

Similarly, facilitating the creation of social norms is part of UNICEF’s approach to challenging the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in some African villages. According to the NGO  Tostan , a key factor leading to the abandonment of the practice was addressing collective rather than individual behaviors. Public condemnation of FGM and declarations against it were found to have a significant symbolic value.

The AI Governance Challenge

Defaults – tipping point.

The Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC) analysed vast quantities of data to identify the  tipping point  at which a marginal belief becomes the majority opinion. Their estimate suggests that at least 10% of people have to hold an opinion for it to have a chance of being adopted more widely.  Thus, they argue, a small group can create change — so long as they are committed and consistent in their belief. Perhaps the most effective way to achieve widespread modification of behavior is to reach those 10%. If word of mouth is the best form of advertising, obvious and clear actions could be the best form of encouraging social change.

What these results all suggest is that, though we like to think of our choices as our own, in fact, they are often profoundly impacted by the choices and views of our peers. In that way,  John Donne  was right — no man is an island. Especially when it comes to behavior.

Case studies

From insight to impact: our success stories, is there a problem we can help with, about the author.

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Francesca Baker is fascinated by people, and their experience of the world. A researcher with 9 years’ experience, she is highly curious, and combines this with a sense of creativity and communication skills to explore the world and tell the stories that matter.

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I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.

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Annual revenue increase.

By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue .

Increase in Monthly Users

By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.

Reduction In Design Time

By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75% .

Reduction in Client Drop-Off

By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%

Zooming in on Psychological Safety in Virtual Teams

A psychologically safe environment fosters creativity, innovation, and enhances overall team performance, but how do we achieve this in a setup where interactions are through a screen?

The Impact Of FREE On Consumer Decision-Making

A Turkish and Russian proverb says that “Vinegar that is free, is sweeter than honey”.

Edunudging: the future of learning? 

One of the main challenges in applying nudges in educational contexts is distinguishing between end goals and the behaviors that lead to them. Sometimes we can be impatient and want to see immediate results rather than looking at the underlying processes needed to achieve those results.

How to design mental health tools for Gen Z

Many mental health tools leave out Gen Z. Using generation-specific behavioral insights, developers can enhance their services.

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How Does Social Context Influence Our Brain and Behavior?

When we interact with others, the context in which our actions take place plays a major role in our behavior. This means that our understanding of objects, words, emotions, and social cues may differ depending on where we encounter them. Here, we explain how context affects daily mental processes, ranging from how people see things to how they behave with others. Then, we present the social context network model. This model explains how people process contextual cues when they interact, through the activity of the frontal, temporal, and insular brain regions. Next, we show that when those brain areas are affected by some diseases, patients find it hard to process contextual cues. Finally, we describe new ways to explore social behavior through brain recordings in daily situations.

Introduction

Everything you do is influenced by the situation in which you do it. The situation that surrounds an action is called its context. In fact, analyzing context is crucial for social interaction and even, in some cases, for survival. Imagine you see a man in fear: your reaction depends on his facial expression (e.g., raised eyebrows, wide-open eyes) and also on the context of the situation. The context can be external (is there something frightening around?) or internal (am I calm or am I also scared?). Such contextual cues are crucial to your understanding of any situation.

Context shapes all processes in your brain, from visual perception to social interactions [ 1 ]. Your mind is never isolated from the world around you. The specific meaning of an object, word, emotion, or social event depends on context ( Figure 1 ). Context may be evident or subtle, real or imagined, conscious or unconscious. Simple optical illusions demonstrate the importance of context ( Figures 1A,B ). In the Ebbinghaus illusion ( Figure 1A ), rings of circles surround two central circles. The central circles are the same size, but one appears to be smaller than the other. This is so because the surrounding circles provide a context. This context affects your perception of the size of the central circles. Quite interesting, right? Likewise, in the Cafe Wall Illusion ( Figure 1B ), context affects your perception of the lines’ orientation. The lines are parallel, but you see them as convergent or divergent. You can try focusing on the middle line of the figure and check it with a ruler. Contextual cues also help you recognize objects in a scene [ 2 ]. For instance, it can be easier to recognize letters when they are in the context of a word. Thus, you can see the same array of lines as either an H or an A ( Figure 1C ). Certainly, you did not read that phrase as “TAE CHT”, correct? Lastly, contextual cues are also important for social interaction. For instance, visual scenes, voices, bodies, other faces, and words shape how you perceive emotions in a face [ 3 ]. If you see Figure 1D in isolation, the woman may look furious. But look again, this time at Figure 1E . Here you see an ecstatic Serena Williams after she secured the top tennis ranking. This shows that recognizing emotions depends on additional information that is not present in the face itself.

• Figure 1 - Contextual affects how you see things.
• A,B. The visual context affects how you see shapes. C. Context also plays an important role in object recognition. Context-related objects are easier to recognize. “THE CAT” is a good example of contextual effects in letter recognition (reproduced with permission from Chun [ 2 ]). D,E. Context also affects how you recognize an emotion [by Hanson K. Joseph (Own work), CC BY-SA 4.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 ), via Wikimedia Commons].

Contextual cues also help you make sense of other situations. What is appropriate in one place may not be appropriate in another. Making jokes is OK when studying with your friends, but not OK during the actual exam. Also, context affects how you feel when you see something happening to another person. Picture someone being beaten on the street. If the person being beaten is your best friend, would you react in the same way as if he were a stranger? The reason why you probably answered “no” is that your empathy may be influenced by context. Context will determine whether you jump in to help or run away in fear. In sum, social situations are shaped by contextual factors that affect how you feel and act.

Contextual cues are important for interpreting social situations. Yet, they have been largely ignored in the world of science. To fill this gap, our group proposed the social context network model [ 1 ]. This model describes a brain network that integrates contextual information during social processes. This brain network combines the activity of several different areas of the brain, namely frontal, temporal, and insular brain areas ( Figure 2 ). It is true that many other brain areas are involved in processing contextual information. For instance, the context of an object that you can see affects processes in the vision areas of your brain [ 4 ]. However, the network proposed by our model includes the main areas involved in social context processing. Even contextual visual recognition involves activity of temporal and frontal regions included in our model [ 5 ].

• Figure 2 - The parts of the brain that work together, in the social context network model.
• This model proposes that social contextual cues are processed by a network of specific brain regions. This network is made up of frontal (light blue), temporal (orange), and insular (green) brain regions and the connections between these regions.

How Does Your Brain Process Contextual Cues in Social Scenarios?

To interpret context in social settings, your brain relies on a network of brain regions, including the frontal, temporal, and insular regions. Figure 2 shows the frontal regions in light blue. These regions help you update contextual information when you focus on something (say, the traffic light as you are walking down the street). That information helps you anticipate what might happen next, based on your previous experiences. If there is a change in what you are seeing (as you keep walking down the street, a mean-looking Doberman appears), the frontal regions will activate and update predictions (“this may be dangerous!”). These predictions will be influenced by the context (“oh, the dog is on a leash”) and your previous experience (“yeah, but once I was attacked by a dog and it was very bad!”). If a person’s frontal regions are damaged, he/she will find it difficult to recognize the influence of context. Thus, the Doberman may not be perceived as a threat, even if this person has been attacked by other dogs before! The main role of the frontal regions is to predict the meaning of actions by analyzing the contextual events that surround the actions.

Figure 2 shows the insular regions, also called the insula, in green. The insula combines signals from within and outside your body. The insula receives signals about what is going on in your guts, heart, and lungs. It also supports your ability to experience emotions. Even the butterflies you sometimes feel in your stomach depend on brain activity! This information is combined with contextual cues from outside your body. So, when you see that the Doberman breaks loose from its owner, you can perceive that your heart begins to beat faster (an internal body signal). Then, your brain combines the external contextual cues (“the Doberman is loose!”) with your body signals, leading you to feel fear. Patients with damage to their insular regions are not so good at tracking their inner body signals and combining them with their emotions. The insula is critical for giving emotional value to an event.

Lastly, Figure 2 shows the temporal regions marked with orange. The temporal regions associate the object or person you are focusing on with the context. Memory plays a major role here. For instance, when the Doberman breaks loose, you look at his owner and realize that it is the kind man you met last week at the pet shop. Also, the temporal regions link contextual information with information from the frontal and insular regions. This system supports your knowledge that Dobermans can attack people, prompting you to seek protection.

To summarize, combining what you experience with the social context relies on a brain network that includes the frontal, insular, and temporal regions. Thanks to this network, we can interpret all sorts of social events. The frontal areas adjust and update what you think, feel, and do depending on present and past happenings. These areas also predict possible events in your surroundings. The insula combines signals from within and outside your body to produce a specific feeling. The temporal regions associate objects and persons with the current situation. So, all the parts of the social context network model work together to combine contextual information when you are in social settings.

When Context Cannot be Processed

Our model helps to explain findings from patients with brain damage. These patients have difficulties processing contextual cues. For instance, people with autism find it hard to make eye contact and interact with others. They may show repetitive behaviors (e.g., constantly lining up toy cars) or excessive interest in a topic. They may also behave inappropriately and have trouble adjusting to school, home, or work. People with autism may fail to recognize emotions in others’ faces. Their empathy may also be reduced. One of our studies [ 6 ] showed that these problems are linked to a decreased ability to process contextual information. Persons with autism and healthy subjects performed tasks involving different social skills. Autistic people did poorly in tasks that relied on contextual cues—for instance, detecting a person’s emotion based on his gestures or voice tone. But, autistic people did well in tasks that didn’t require analyzing context, for example tasks that could be completed by following very general rules (for example, “never touch a stranger on the street”). Thus, the social problems that we often see in autistic people might result from difficulty in processing contextual cues.

Another disease that may result from problems processing contextual information is called behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia . Patients with this disease exhibit changes in personality and in the way they interact with others, after about age 60. They may do improper things in public. Like people with autism, they may not show empathy or may not recognize emotions easily. Also, they find it hard to deal with the details of context needed to understand social events. All these changes may reflect general problems processing social context information. These problems may be caused by damage to the brain network described above.

Our model can also explain patients with damage to the frontal lobes or those who have conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder [ 7 ]. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by atypical social cognition and inability to distinguish between real and imagined world (as in the case of hallucinations). Similar but milder problems appear in patients with bipolar disorder, which is another psychiatric condition mainly characterized by oscillating periods of depression and periods of elevated mood (called hypomania or mania).

In sum, the problems with social behavior seen in many diseases are probably linked to poor context processing after damage to certain brain areas, as proposed by our model ( Figure 2 ). Future research should explore how correct this model is, adding more data about the processes and regions it describes.

New Techniques to Assess Social Behavior and Contextual Processing

The results mentioned above are important for scientists and doctors. However, they have a great limitation. They do not reflect how people behave in daily life! Most of the research findings came from tasks in a laboratory, in which a person responded to pictures or videos. These tasks do not really represent how we act every day in our lives. Social life is much more complicated than sitting at a desk and pressing buttons when you see images on a computer, right? Research based on such tasks doesn’t reflect real social situations. In daily life, people interact in contexts that constantly change.

Fortunately, new methods allow scientists to assess real-life interactions. Hyperscanning is one of these methods. Hyperscanning allows measurement of the brain activity of two or more people while they perform activities together. For example, each subject can lie inside a separate scanner (a large tube containing powerful magnets). This scanner can detect changes in blood flow in the brain while the two people interact. This approach is used, for example, to study the brains of a mother and her child while they are looking at each other’s faces ( Figure 3A ).

• Figure 3 - New techniques to study processing of contextual cues.
• A. A mother and her infant look at each others’ facial expression while their brain activity is recorded (reproduced with permission from Masayuki et al. [ 8 ]). B. Hyperscanning of people interacting with each other during a game of Jenga (reproduced with permission from Liu et al. [ 9 ]). C. A new method of studying brain activity, called mobile brain/body imaging (MoBI) (reproduced with permission from Makeig et al. [ 10 ]). D. Virtual reality simulations of a virtual train at the station and a virtual train carriage (reproduced with permission from Freeman et al. [ 11 ]).

Hyperscanning can also be done using electroencephalogram equipment. Electroencephalography measures the electrical activity of the brain. Special sensors called electrodes are attached to the head. They are hooked by wires to a computer which records the brain’s electrical activity. Figure 3B shows an example of the use of electroencephalogram hyperscanning. This method has been used to measure the brain activity in two individuals while they are playing Jenga. Future research should apply this technique to study the processing of social contextual cues.

One limitation of hyperscanning is that it typically requires participants to remain still. However, real-life interactions involve many bodily actions. Fortunately, a new method called mobile brain/body imaging (MoBI, Figure 3C ) allows the measurement of brain activity and bodily actions while people interact in natural settings.

Another interesting approach is to use virtual reality . This technique involves fake situations. However, it puts people in different situations that require social interaction. This is closer to real life than the tasks used in most laboratories. As an example, consider Figure 3D . This shows a virtual reality experiment in which participants traveled through an underground tube station in London. Our understanding of the way context impacts social behavior could be expanded in future virtual reality studies.

In sum, future research should use new methods for measuring real-life interactions. This type of research could be very important for doctors to understand what happens to the processing of social context cues in various brain injuries or diseases. These realistic tasks are more sensitive than most of the laboratory tasks that are usually used for the assessment of patients with brain disorders.

Empathy : ↑ The ability to feel what another person is feeling, that is, to “place yourself in that person’s shoes.”

Autism : ↑ A general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized by repetitive behaviors, as well as different levels of difficulty with social interaction and both verbal and non-verbal communications.

Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia : ↑ A brain disease characterized by progressive changes in personality and loss of empathy. Patients experience difficulty in regulating their behavior, and this often results in socially inappropriate actions. Patients typically start to show symptoms around age 60.

Hyperscanning : ↑ A novel technique to measure brain activity simultaneously from two people.

Virtual Reality : ↑ Computer technologies that use software to generate realistic images, sounds, and other sensations that replicate a real environment. This technique uses specialized display screens or projectors to simulate the user’s physical presence in this environment, enabling him or her to interact with the virtual space and any objects depicted there.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from CONICYT/FONDECYT Regular (1170010), FONDAP 15150012, and the INECO Foundation.

[1] ↑ Ibanez, A., and Manes, F. 2012. Contextual social cognition and the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia. Neurology 78(17):1354–62. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182518375

[2] ↑ Chun, M. M. 2000. Contextual cueing of visual attention. Trends Cogn. Sci. 4(5):170–8. doi:10.1016/S1364-6613(00)01476-5

[3] ↑ Barrett, L. F., Mesquita, B., and Gendron, M. 2011. Context in emotion perception. Curr. Direct Psychol. Sci. 20(5):286–90. doi:10.1177/0963721411422522

[4] ↑ Beck, D. M., and Kastner, S. 2005. Stimulus context modulates competition in human extrastriate cortex. Nat. Neurosci. 8(8):1110–6. doi:10.1038/nn1501

[5] ↑ Bar, M. 2004. Visual objects in context. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 5(8):617–29. doi:10.1038/nrn1476

[6] ↑ Baez, S., and Ibanez, A. 2014. The effects of context processing on social cognition impairments in adults with Asperger’s syndrome. Front. Neurosci. 8:270. doi:10.3389/fnins.2014.00270

[7] ↑ Baez, S, Garcia, A. M., and Ibanez, A. 2016. The Social Context Network Model in psychiatric and neurological diseases. Curr. Top. Behav. Neurosci. 30:379–96. doi:10.1007/7854_2016_443

[8] ↑ Masayuki, H., Takashi, I., Mitsuru, K., Tomoya, K., Hirotoshi, H., Yuko, Y., and Minoru, A. 2014. Hyperscanning MEG for understanding mother-child cerebral interactions. Front Hum Neurosci 8:118. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00118

[9] ↑ Liu, N., Mok, C., Witt, E. E., Pradhan, A. H., Chen, J. E., and Reiss, A. L. 2016. NIRS-based hyperscanning reveals inter-brain neural synchronization during cooperative Jenga game with face-to-face communication. Front Hum Neurosci 10:82. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00082

[10] ↑ Makeig, S., Gramann, K., Jung, T.-P., Sejnowski, T. J., and Poizner, H. 2009. Linking brain, mind and behavior: The promise of mobile brain/body imaging (MoBI). Int J Psychophys 73:985–1000

[11] ↑ Evans, N., Lister, R., Antley, A., Dunn, G., and Slater, M. 2014. Height, social comparison, and paranoia: An immersive virtual reality experimental study. Psych Res 218(3):348–52. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2013.12.014

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, help with a community essay.

I have to write an essay about my community for my English class and was hoping for some advice. What aspects should I focus on? How can I articulate my experiences properly and make it engaging?

Writing a compelling community essay involves more than just describing your neighborhood or where you come from. It should explore your connection to your community, the impact you've had, or vice versa. Here's a brief guide to help you approach this essay:

1. Develop your definition: Understand what 'community' means to you. It can be your family, neighborhood, religious or cultural group, school club, etc. Think of any group that you connect with and participate in.

2. Personal connection: Describe your involvement within this community and how you have contributed to it. Did you overcome any obstacles or challenges? Have you made specific contributions or fulfilled particular roles? Elaborate on your responsibilities and give examples to make it more relatable.

3. Impact: Reflect on how your involvement within the community has shaped you. What have you learned from this experience? How have these lessons helped in your personal and academic growth?

4. Engaging Elements: Use descriptive language to make your experiences come alive. Remember, show don't tell. Rather than stating that you helped make the community cleaner, describe the day you organized a neighborhood cleanup: the energy, the camaraderie, the way you felt surveying the clean streets afterward.

5. Conclusion: End with your potential future involvement within the community. How do you see yourself still contributing to this community in the future?

Remember, authenticity is key! Highlight your personal experiences and focus on the specifics. Your unique perspective is what will make your essay most engaging.

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10 Traits That Make a Positive Community

Before answering that question, let’s zoom out a little bit.

Humans are made to live and work with others in a community where we can thrive. We are social beings that have evolved to exist within communities.

The quality of a community is often dictated by the degree of engagement and happiness individuals can draw from community interactions. Yet, sadly, some communities promote feelings of self-doubt and isolation.

Positive communities are groups that inspire their members in ways that promote a sense of self-discovery and group connection, encourage members to express their beliefs and values and build relationships with others.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Relationships Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients build healthy, life-enriching relationships.

This Article Contains:

What is a community, what is a positive community, 5 drivers of helpful community formation, 10 traits of positive communities, 5 quotes about positive communities, a take-home message.

While most of us know intuitively what is meant by the word ‘community,’ the term has been used to refer to a wide range of different phenomena throughout time. For instance, the word is often used to refer to co-location in a neighborhood, social capital (i.e., thinking of others as resources), or social organization at a state or national level (Mah & Carpenter, 2016).

Today, the word can mean all or none of these things.

A synthesis of definitions from sociology suggests that a community is a social unit (or group of living things) that share something in common, such as customs, identifying characteristics, values, beliefs , or norms (Mah & Carpenter, 2016).

To illustrate, it is likely you have heard references to the term ‘LGBTQI+ community.’ This is a loosely defined grouping of individuals, organizations, and social movements who take an interest in the rights and subcultures of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex populations.

In line with the definition of a community, members of the LGBTQI+ community share common identifying characteristics (e.g., gender identity, sexual preference) and values (e.g., the freedom to openly express one’s identity).

Communities are based around networks of social relations that extend beyond one’s immediate family, and they are thought to have some longevity. That is, members of a community stay in regular social contact with one another.

Further, while being physically situated close to other community members is sometimes necessary for that community to thrive, there has been a rise in mobile and virtual communities that are challenging classic understandings of the term.

For instance, the 100 million users that regularly log in to online games like World of Warcraft (MMO Populations, n.d.) are part of a global virtual community. Likewise, online forums and Facebook groups on niche hobbies are other forms of virtual community.

Positive experiences with communities allow individuals to feel more connected to their environment and the people in it. Further, the connection that comes with being in a community can act as a support system for members when they require encouragement or help.

Indeed, the power of community involvement is well-recognized by scholars and can help combat the sense of isolation that can be felt among social minorities.

For instance, one study of mental health among bisexual women found that participating in a bisexual-specific community 2-3 times per week helped reduce the impact of internalized negative attitudes about one’s bisexuality on depressive symptoms (Lambe, Cerezo, & O’Shaughnessy, 2017).

Similarly, another study showed that rural, low-income mothers who regularly engaged with their faith-based communities exhibited fewer depressive symptoms (Garrison, Marks, Lawrence, & Braun, 2005).

Scientific recognition of the benefits of community involvement for mental health has translated to a range of mental health campaigns across the world. For example, Australia’s long-running Act-Belong-Commit campaign encourages people to be mentally healthy by getting involved with a local community group and committing to a meaningful cause, such as through volunteering (Act-Belong-Commit, n.d.).

At a national level, Iceland embarked on a plan to reduce teenage alcohol and drug consumption by providing more access to community sporting groups.

The results of the campaign were groundbreaking. Following the initiative, the percentage of teenagers who reported excessive alcohol consumption in the previous month dropped from 42% in 1998 to 5% in 2016. Likewise, the percentage who reported ever using cannabis dropped from 17% to 7%, and cigarette use fell from 23% to 3% (Young, 2017).

Based on these results, it is clear that involvement in positive communities can have a tangible impact on individuals by helping them avoid negative outcomes, such as poor mental health, by providing a sense of belonging and directing members’ attention and energy toward beneficial activities.

However, involvement in positive communities can bring about positive change in the broader environment, too.

In his book, Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making , leading expert on collaborative decision making, Sam Kaner (2014), describes the process that community groups undergo when trying to bring about change in an environment.

To achieve change, members of a group must navigate what Kaner refers to as the “ groan zone .” This is referred to as such because it is uncomfortable and sometimes marked by conflict. However, when parties build trust and communicate a shared vision with those who have the power to enact change, positive outcomes can result.

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There are two key reasons why communities may form.

• Communities tend to form when one or more individuals want to connect with others possessing similar values, beliefs, interests, etc., and such a group doesn’t currently exist, or
• Inadvertently, as a result of being co-located.

Whether such groups form on purpose or by accident, discovering others with whom we share common characteristics can be incredibly comforting and rewarding. Involvement in positive and encouraging communities can also facilitate self-reflection and exploration of core values and beliefs.

Here are five key grounds upon which communities tend to form (and why others may be motivated to join said communities; Perkins, 2015).

1. Shared identity

It is common for communities to form among those who share a common sense of identity. For instance, alumni group-members share a history at the same learning institution. Likewise, ethnic communities share aspects of their culture and heritage in common.

2. Shared purpose

Those who feel passionately about social causes will often band together as a community. These objectives can be large-scale, such as working together to eradicate a particular disease, or be on a smaller, more local scale, such as a community that seeks to get a particular party member elected.

3. Common objectives

Some communities are united by concrete goals or the pursuit of mutually beneficial outcomes. For instance, millions of Facebook users around the world engage with Facebook’s many buy-and-sell communities.

These communities are formed by everyday Facebook users so that people can buy, sell, and bid on niche categories of items. Thus, these groups’ members share common objectives, such as acquiring new possessions or making a profit on ones that are no longer needed.

4. Shared interests or passions

Many communities form based on common interests or hobbies, such as in Iceland’s example of teen sporting groups. Examples of interests that may lead to community formation include the arts, sports, cooking, cultures, and games.

5. Common Behavior

Communities can serve to hold their members accountable for enacting particular behaviors and reaching certain goals.

When a person commits to achieve a goal, they are typically less likely to succeed when they do so in private. If they start deviating from their objective, there will be no one present to hold them accountable.

Conversely, when a person verbalizes their goals to others within a community, there is a social expectation that they will achieve that goal. Thus that person becomes more likely to succeed (Oppong, 2017).

Further, when someone faces hurdles to achieving a goal, others in their community pursuing similar objectives can provide support and empathize with their situations. Good examples of such communities include Alcoholics Anonymous and weight-loss groups (Perkins, 2015).

1. Common goals

Effective communities often share similar values and belief systems. These can motivate its individuals to accomplish mutually held goals, the nature of which may vary depending on the group in question.

For example, one community may value environmental goals, such as promoting recycling and making forest areas more habitable for wildlife. In contrast, another community may place value on an effective education system and thereby work toward the goal of influencing education policy.

2. Freedom of expression

Central to developing a positive community is comfort among its members when it comes to speaking their minds and expressing what is important to them.

Individuals who feel encouraged to give input about an issue and who feel heard when they speak their minds are more likely to feel connected to their community. Further, successful communities recognize the importance of opinions that diverge from the majority and are open to hearing these (Greenberg & Edwards, 2009).

In contrast, dysfunctional communities tend to silence voices that diverge from those espoused by the majority or group leaders.

At best, communities with such dynamics may miss opportunities to improve their practices and enhance their members’ fulfillment from their involvement (Bashshur & Oc, 2015). At worst, they may harm their members by isolating them from diverse viewpoints or exerting undue control.

3. Address member concerns with sensitivity

Not only is it important to create a community that encourages the voicing of concerns, but it is also important to ensure that members feel their concerns are adequately addressed.

Positive communities prioritize their members’ wellbeing and address concerns in a timely and sensitive manner when they arise. For community leaders, this means taking the time to listen carefully to any concerns raised and taking the necessary steps to assess risks and conduct further investigations when necessary.

Throughout this process, community leaders need to act fairly, keep clear records, and maintain good communication with the member who initially raised the concern (Whistleblowing Helpline, 2016). Sometimes, it may also be appropriate to protect the member’s identity by referring to the community member anonymously in any documentation.

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4. Set clear policies and obligations

Strong and enduring communities typically set clear rules and expectations to guide the conduct of its members. Doing so ensures that there is as little ambiguity as possible regarding what is and is not okay and will help minimize misunderstandings.

Depending on the community’s nature, it may be helpful to establish a code of conduct that explicitly links a community’s mission, values, and principles to expected standards of behavior. Such a code can then help community members to behave ethically, meet their obligations, and carry out day-to-day decision making (Ethics & Compliance Initiative, n.d.).

5. Fairness

With policies and expectations clearly in place, enforcement of these rules should be applied fairly.

Feeling a sense of fairness is critical to the experience of good relationships, and good relationships are often a key driver of people’s involvement in communities (Butorova, n.d.). Therefore, a community that does not apply its rules fairly risks inadvertently driving away its members and producing feelings of disconnection.

For instance, the community member who feels that they must ‘pick up the slack’ for another member who has neglected to meet their obligations may begin to feel resentment toward this member. They may also feel resentment toward the community’s leadership, who have failed to hold this member accountable.

6. Celebrate heritage and traditions

Every long-standing community has heritage and traditions that have arisen during the community’s development. Positive communities embrace their culture by reminding members of the long way the community has come.

There are many ways to celebrate a community’s heritage and traditions. One way is through its artifacts–observable symbols and signs of a community’s culture (Ott, 1989).

Examples of artifacts include a community’s stories and legends, such as a dramatic tale of how the community was formed; Wilkins, 1983; language, in the way members greet one another; rituals and ceremonies (Smith & Stewart, 2011), and physical structures or symbols such as trophies or the design of physical spaces.

7. Promote interaction among members

Positive communities work to foster a feeling of genuine connection among members by providing plenty of interaction opportunities. Doing this can motivate members to meet their obligations and work toward the established goals of the community.

More specifically, crafting opportunities for members to experience emotional contagion in their interactions is key.

Emotional contagion occurs when two or more people focus on a common activity and emotional experience, generating feelings of group solidarity (Collins, 2004). Examples of activities that may induce emotional contagion feelings include protesting about a cause a community is passionate about or singing along to songs together at a karaoke night.

8. Elect leaders that stand by community values

Individuals elected to leadership positions within positive communities should be fair and just in their focus. Their shared values should inform the decisions they make on behalf of the community.

Where possible, leaders should be diverse and represent the full scope of views and identities present within the community, such as electing an equal balance of men and women to a board.

9. Prioritize effective communication

Communication is essential for any effective community. Not only does this mean clearly communicating policies, rules, and expectations, but it also means keeping members up to date about ongoing projects, changes to policies, and upcoming events.

Often, communities will set up their own customized channels to facilitate effective communication . Examples of such channels include regular monthly meetings, circulated meeting minutes, digital social networking services, and newsletters.

10. Make smart decisions

Decisions made by positive and encouraging communities focus primarily on the promotion of its vision and aims. When in doubt about decisions that must be made, positive leaders should consider whether any major decision is aligned with the community’s vision and aims. It is the members’ identification with a vision and aims that likely led them to join the community in the first place.

Members will inevitably disagree on some issues, but an effective community leader incorporates concerns from all sides of an issue to arrive at final decisions.

Creating a community and finding purpose – Stephen Thompson

People who work together in communities can achieve amazing things. Let these quotes serve as reminders of the drivers and benefits of positive communities.

As you read them, think about whether any resonate with you and the communities you are involved in.

The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.

Coretta Scott King

Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together.

The power of community to create health is far greater than any physician, clinic or hospital.

Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.

Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It is the impetus for creating change.

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According to Henrik Ibsen:

“A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.”

Indeed, well-functioning, positive communities can motivate extraordinary commitment and dedication from their members, such that they will be willing to ‘take the helm’ when called upon.

At their core, positive communities generate this commitment because they are founded on a compelling and inspiring vision that members can identify with. Whether this vision is to eradicate world hunger or have the best Christmas lights display in the neighborhood, positive communities get members excited about interacting with one another and contributing.

Positive communities are also governed by effective leaders, who represent and execute the community’s values with fairness and genuine concern for their members.

We covered ten factors that can help make a community successful, but did we miss any? We’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Relationships Exercises for free .

• Act-Belong-Commit. (n.d.). What is Act Belong Commit? Retrieved from https://www.actbelongcommit.org.au/about-us/what-is-act-belong-commit
• Bashshur, M. R., & Oc, B. (2015). When voice matters: A multilevel review of the impact of voice in organizations. Journal of Management , 41(5), 1530-1554. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314558302
• Butorova, H. (n.d.). The importance of: Fairness . Citywise. Retrieved from https://citywise.org/importance-fairness/
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• Garrison, M. B., Marks, L. D., Lawrence, F. C., & Braun, B. (2005). Religious beliefs, faith community involvement and depression: A study of rural, low-income mothers. Women & Health , 40(3), 51-62. https://doi.org/10.1300/J013v40n03_04
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• Lambe, J., Cerezo, A., & O’Shaughnessy, T. (2017). Minority stress, community involvement, and mental health among bisexual women. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity , 4(2), 218-226. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000222
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• Smith, A. C., & Stewart, B. (2011). Organizational rituals: Features, functions and mechanisms. International Journal of Management Reviews , 13(2), 113-133. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2010.00288.x
• Whistleblowing Helpline. (2016). Raising concerns at work . Retrieved from https://www.norfolklscb.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Raising-Concerns-at-Work.pdf
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• Young, E. (2017, January 19). How Iceland got teens to say no to drugs . The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/01/teens-drugs-iceland/513668/

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How to Write the “Community” and “Issue” Yale Essays

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Hale Jaeger in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info. 

What’s Covered

The “community” essay: choosing a community, structuring the “community” essay, the “issue” essay: choosing your issue, issues to avoid, structuring the “issue” essay.

In this article, we discuss strategies for writing Yale University ’s “Community” and “Issue” supplemental essays. Applicants using the Common App or Coalition Application to apply to Yale are required to choose one of these two prompts and respond to it in 400 words or fewer. The first prompt is the “Issue” essay prompt, which reads:

Yale carries out its mission “through the free exchange of ideas in an ethical, interdependent, and diverse community.” Reflect on a time when you exchanged ideas about an important issue with someone holding an opposing view. How did the experience lead you either to change your opinion or to sharpen your reasons for holding onto it? (400 words)

The second prompt is the “Community” essay prompt:

Reflect on a time when you have worked to enhance a community to which you feel connected. Why have these efforts been meaningful to you? You may define community however you like. (400 words)

In this article, we discuss choosing topics for each of these essays and strategies to structure them.

The Yale “Community” essay prompt clearly states that you can define community however you wish, which means you can choose to write about any kind of community that you feel you are a member of. When considering potential communities, start by brainstorming any groups you are part of that have defined boundaries, such as your town, school, team, or religious organization.

There are also informal communities that you could choose from, such as your friend group, family, coworkers, or neighborhood. Even though these groups have less of a formal definition, they are still communities. What matters most is that the community that you choose is important to you, that you have contributed to it, and that you have learned something from it.

When structuring this essay, think about it in three sections. The first introduces the community, the second demonstrates your contributions to the community, and the third explains what the community has given and taught you. As you write, keep in mind that this essay is a two-way street; you want to show what you have given to your community and what it has given you.

Introduce the Community

The first step in writing this essay is to introduce the community. Explain who is part of the community and what the community is like. Highlight the community’s structure by demonstrating how you are part of it and how you interact with your peers, superiors, or inferiors within the group. It is also important to depict the community’s dynamic in this part of the essay. For example, is it fun, relaxed, and loving, or is it rigorous, challenging, and thought provoking? 

Show What You’ve Contributed

The next section of this essay should discuss your engagement with this community and what you’ve contributed to it. Consider what you’ve done, what initiatives you’ve brought to the community, and what your role is within it. You can also highlight anything that you had to give up to be part of the community.

Show What You’ve Learned

The last part of this essay should discuss what you have gained and learned from this community. For this portion, consider things that the community has given and taught you, as well as ways that it has helped you grow. Think about how this community has shaped who you are and who you are becoming.

The other prompt option is the “Issue” essay. The first step for this one is to define what your issue is. It doesn’t matter what you choose, as long as it’s something that has enough nuance for you to talk about it in a complex and intelligent way.

Make sure it’s an issue of some relevance to you; otherwise, it will come across as dispassionate. As you write this essay, you should show that you are somebody who cares about an issue that they think is significant. 

Grand Issues

When selecting an issue, you can either choose a grand one or a local one. Grand issues are big, unsolved problems that are common in society, such as cancer, homelessness, or food insecurity. If you do choose a grand issue, remind yourself of its personal importance. While grand issues are full of nuance, they may lack personal meaning. Examples of personal connections to grand issues could be if you have encountered homelessness, lived with food insecurity, or have lost someone to cancer.

Local Issues

Another topic option is to write about an issue that is local. For example, maybe your high school has a teaching staff that doesn’t represent the diversity of the student body. While this is not a global issue, it’s something that strongly affects you and your community. 

Perhaps you live in a town that is directly suffering from the opioid crisis, or you have divorced parents and have started an activist group for children of divorced parents. Both of these examples of local issues also have personal importance. 

When choosing a topic to write about, avoid issues that you don’t have any connection to and that aren’t personally important. These are often problems that are too grand and can’t be made personal, such as world peace. 

Another category of issues to avoid is anything that doesn’t align with Yale’s values. Yale, like most universities in the United States, generally has a liberal lean. As such, it is likely not in your best interest to write a strong defense of socially conservative values. While there are values that you are free to hold and express—and Yale welcomes people of all backgrounds and ideologies—this essay is not necessarily the best place to express them.

You are most likely applying to Yale because it’s a place that you want to be and have something in common with. This essay is a great opportunity to emphasize the values that you share with the university rather than the things that divide you. Since a reader only has five to seven minutes to go over your entire application, you don’t want them to come away with the sense that you are somebody who won’t thrive at Yale.

Define the Issue and Highlight Past Experiences

When writing the “Issue” essay, start by identifying the issue and sharing how you came across it. Then, provide insight into why it is meaningful to you and your relationship with it.

Next, show the reader how you have already engaged with the problem by detailing your past with the issue. 

Discuss Future Plans to Approach the Issue

After this, you can look forward and discuss your future with this issue. A great strategy is to write about how your Yale education will address the problem and how your field of study relates to it. You can also highlight any Yale-specific programs or opportunities that will give you insight or context for tackling the issue. 

Alternatively, if there is something about this issue that Yale’s academic flexibility will enable you to explore, you can share that in this part of the essay. For example, maybe you are interested in health policy and plan to take classes in the sciences. You also want to take classes in the history of health, science, and medicine, as well as political science and economics courses, which you plan to utilize to write new healthcare policies.

Another option is to focus on an aspect of Yale’s community, such as peers, professors, or mentors who will help develop your ability to navigate the issue. Ultimately, you want to demonstrate in this essay that what (and how) you learn at Yale will prepare you to take action and move forward with confronting your issue in the future.

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Home — Essay Samples — Business — Leadership — Making a Positive Impact on Others: The Power of Influence

Making a Positive Impact on Others: The Power of Influence

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The ripple effect of positivity, building stronger connections, leading by example, overcoming challenges and adversity, the role of empathy and understanding.

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How Social Environments Shape Behavior

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We live in a great moment in the history of social psychology, because we're discovering things every day about how our environments, our social environments, shape our behavior. And one thing you can do when you understand what's shaping your behavior is take control. Think about whether you really want to be shaped in those ways, and whether you can do something to stop yourself being pushed in directions you don't want to be pushed in.

So I think there's a huge amount to be learned by looking at modern social psychology. And one of the things about most of the great experiments about social psychology is actually they're designed by people with a great narrative imagination. They design these wonderful experiments, which make good stories.

One of my favorite is about students of the Princeton Theological Seminary. I believe this experiment was done by Danny Kahneman and some of his colleagues. And what they did was-- they had these students who were studying the story of the Good Samaritan, and they were preparing a sermon on it. And the path from where they were studying this to where they were going to give the sermon went by a derelict person lying in the doorway, looking as though he needed help.

A perfect Good Samaritan situation. Theological students. What happens? What predicts whether they'll stop? Turns out it's not whether they've been thinking about the Good Samaritan. What predicts whether they stop is whether you say to them before they leave, "You're late." If you tell them they're late, these theology students, these people who've been thinking about the Good Samaritan, don't do the Good Samaritan thing. And they go and give their sermon about the Good Samaritan, right?

If you tell them you're not in a hurry, then they stop, right? So they haven't, as it were-- it seems to me-- they haven't learned the moral lesson that they've been thinking deeply about and that they're professionally committed to. Well, once you know that whether you are going to do what you should for strangers can depend on something like whether you feel you're in a hurry, you can ask yourself the question when you see a stranger need of help, "Am I really in that much of a hurry?" And this sort of experiment shows you, teaches you, that sort of thing.

Here's a great experiment. You take two lots of people. One lot are standing outside a bakery with beautiful smells of croissants in the air. And the other lot are standing outside what in the literature is called a dry goods store. Something where there's no odors.

You go up to the people outside the bakery and you say, "I have a buck. I need some quarters to park my car." They give it to you. You go to people outside the dry goods store, they don't. And it's a huge difference. People are 10 times as likely to give it to you. The conclusion?

The thing that we think we should do, right? We all think that if you've got four quarters and a person needs four quarters, a decent person will give them the change. Whether you do the thing that you think, in theory, you ought to do just depends on whether you're in a good mood. If you're in a good mood, because you've got these pleasant smells in the air, you'll behave as you think you should.

And if you're in a normal mood, not a lousy mood, just a normal mood, you won't. I think that that experiment reminds us of our deep sensitivity to features of our environment that have nothing to do with what's morally important.

I don't want to be naive about the difficulty of taking these highly stylized results from carefully constructed experimental situations and applying them in the real world. Both for the reason that I've already said, which is that, as it were, if this is evidence about how we are, then knowing how we are doesn't stop us being that way. So we can't just change our natures because someone told us something about them. But also because the real world is extremely complicated. And the actual psychologies of actual people in actual circumstances of moral crisis are very complicated. And lots of things are going on. Not just one thing is going on.

So the genius of a great experiment is to abstract from the messy reality of our lives a sort of very abstractly characterized, simple situation, and study it. How you put the complexity back in? That's very, very hard. And I do not mean to think, to imply that it's easy, but I do think that we have to try.

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Culture and the Self

July 26, 2016

Social scientists have long understood that people in different parts of the world see themselves in different ways, but research has often been driven by a rather black-and-white — and some would say stereotypical — view of what the differences are.

In an article just published in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General , Vignoles and colleagues (2016) (PDF, 209KB) introduce a new perspective on cultural differences in self-construal. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK), and conducted by members of the Culture and Identity Research Network among more than 10,000 members of diverse cultural groups spanning all inhabited continents, their research explodes the common myth of a "West-versus-the-Rest" divide in self-perceptions.

For several decades, psychological scientists have commonly assumed that Western cultures foster seeing oneself as independent from others, whereas the rest of the world's cultures foster seeing oneself as interdependent with others. Critics have argued that this view of cultural diversity is too simplistic, but it has remained a dominant assumption in the field — and researchers often explain unsupportive findings away as methodological failures rather than question it.

The new research paints a much richer picture of diversity in cultural models of selfhood. It shows that Western cultures tend to emphasize certain ways of being independent (e.g., being different from others, self-directed, and self-expressive), but not others (e.g., being self-interested, self-reliant, and consistent across contexts).

Viewed in global context, Western cultures are not "exceptional" but they form part of the broad kaleidoscope of global variation. Nor is cultural individualism linked straightforwardly to independent self-perceptions, as has been commonly presumed.  Different ways of seeing oneself as both independent and interdependent were emphasized in different parts of the world, and this was partly explained by socioeconomic development and religious heritage of the cultural groups studied.

The findings will be important to practitioners and researchers interested in cultural diversity. They open up new research possibilities that will help researchers better understand how psychological processes vary across the world.

A richer understanding of cultural variation, based firmly on empirical research rather than stereotypes, could help practitioners intervene more effectively with members of diverse cultural communities.

• Vignoles, V. L., Owe, E., Becker, M., Smith, P. B., Easterbrook, M. J., Brown, R.,…Bond, M. H. (2016). Beyond the 'east–west' dichotomy: Global variation in cultural models of selfhood. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145 (8), 966–1000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000175

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Music’s Influence on Behavior: Exploring the Psychological and Social Impact

From the pulsing beats of a crowded nightclub to the soothing melodies of a lullaby, music weaves an intricate tapestry of influence on human behavior, shaping our emotions, thoughts, and actions in ways that are both profound and often overlooked. It’s a universal language that transcends cultural boundaries, speaking directly to our souls and stirring up feelings we didn’t even know we had. But have you ever stopped to wonder just how deep this influence runs?

Picture this: You’re walking down the street, lost in thought, when suddenly a familiar tune catches your ear. Your pace quickens, your mood lifts, and before you know it, you’re humming along, transported to a different time and place. That’s the magic of music, folks – it has the power to alter our state of mind in an instant.

Music has been an integral part of human society since time immemorial. From ancient tribal rituals to modern-day pop concerts, it has served as a backdrop to our lives, marking important moments and providing comfort in times of need. But in recent years, there’s been a growing fascination with understanding just how music influences our behavior. Scientists, psychologists, and marketers alike are all clamoring to unlock the secrets of this auditory alchemy.

The Science Behind the Sound: How Music Affects Our Brains

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of how music works its magic on our gray matter. When we listen to music, it’s not just our ears that perk up – our entire brain gets in on the action. The temporal lobe processes the sound, while the frontal lobe deals with the emotional response. Meanwhile, the cerebellum is busy keeping time, and the corpus callosum is working overtime to coordinate all these different areas.

But it’s not just about brain regions lighting up like a Christmas tree. Music has a profound effect on our emotions and mood. Ever noticed how a peppy tune can turn your frown upside down? That’s because music can trigger the release of dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter. It’s like a natural high, minus the questionable side effects.

And let’s not forget about the cognitive boost music can provide. Studies have shown that listening to music can improve memory, enhance creativity, and even help with problem-solving. It’s like a workout for your brain, but way more fun than solving Sudoku puzzles.

Music: The Ultimate Mood Ring

Now, you might be wondering, “Can music really influence my behavior?” Well, buckle up, buttercup, because the answer is a resounding “yes!” Let’s look at some real-world examples that’ll knock your socks off.

Ever been grocery shopping and found yourself inexplicably drawn to the French wine section while “La Vie en Rose” plays softly in the background? That’s no coincidence, my friend. Retailers have long known about the power of music to influence consumer behavior. A study published in the Journal of Retailing found that playing French music in a wine store led to increased sales of French wines. Talk about a grape expectation!

But it’s not just about what we buy – music can also affect how we interact with others. Picture this: you’re at a party, and the DJ switches from a mellow acoustic set to some high-energy dance tracks. Suddenly, everyone’s on their feet, strangers are striking up conversations, and the whole vibe of the room shifts. That’s the power of music in shaping group behavior .

Music’s influence extends to our physical performance too. Ever tried working out without your favorite playlist? It’s like trying to run through molasses. Music can boost our motivation, increase our endurance, and even help us synchronize our movements. It’s no wonder so many athletes swear by their pre-game pump-up tracks.

From Classroom to Boardroom: Music’s Reach Knows No Bounds

The influence of music doesn’t stop at the gym or the grocery store. It permeates every aspect of our lives, including our educational and professional environments. In schools, background music has been shown to improve focus and retention in students. It’s like a secret weapon for educators looking to engage their pupils and create a positive learning atmosphere.

In the workplace, the right tunes can boost productivity and creativity. A study published in the Journal of Music Therapy found that employees who listened to music while working completed their tasks more quickly and came up with better ideas than those who worked in silence. So the next time your boss gives you the side-eye for wearing headphones, just tell them you’re maximizing your efficiency!

But it’s not all smooth sailing in the sea of sound. Music’s influence on our behavior can sometimes veer into choppy waters. Take driving, for instance. While a good beat can make a long road trip more bearable, research has shown that loud, fast-paced music can lead to more aggressive driving behaviors and increased risk-taking. So maybe save that death metal playlist for when you’re not behind the wheel, eh?

The Sound of Controversy: Music’s Dark Side

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room – the potential negative influences of music on behavior. It’s a topic that’s been hotly debated since Elvis first swiveled his hips on national television. Some argue that violent or aggressive lyrics can promote antisocial behavior, particularly among impressionable youth.

But here’s the thing: the relationship between music and behavior isn’t a simple cause-and-effect scenario. It’s more like a complex dance, with numerous factors at play. While some studies have suggested a link between exposure to violent lyrics and increased aggressive thoughts, others have found no significant connection. It’s a bit like trying to nail jelly to a wall – just when you think you’ve got it figured out, it slips away.

The debate around music censorship is another thorny issue. Some argue that restricting access to certain types of music is necessary to protect vulnerable individuals, while others see it as a violation of free speech. It’s a delicate balance between safeguarding society and preserving artistic expression.

Turning Up the Volume on Positive Change

But let’s not get bogged down in the doom and gloom. Music has an incredible potential to be a force for good in our lives and society at large. Take music therapy, for instance. This innovative field uses the power of music to help individuals with a wide range of physical and mental health conditions. From reducing anxiety and depression to improving motor skills in stroke patients, music therapy is proving that the right tune can be just what the doctor ordered.

Music can also be a powerful tool for conflict resolution and social cohesion. Think about how singing together can unite a diverse group of people, or how shared musical experiences can bridge cultural divides. It’s like a universal language that speaks to our shared humanity.

And let’s not forget about the potential of music education in shaping positive behaviors. Learning to play an instrument or participate in a choir can teach valuable skills like discipline, teamwork, and self-expression. It’s not just about creating the next Mozart – it’s about nurturing well-rounded individuals who can face life’s challenges with creativity and resilience.

Composing Your Own Behavioral Symphony

So, how can you harness the power of music to influence your own behavior positively? Here are a few practical tips to get you started:

1. Create mood-specific playlists: Curate collections of songs that help you feel energized, focused, or relaxed, depending on what you need.

2. Use music as a productivity tool: Experiment with different genres to find what helps you concentrate best during work or study sessions.

3. Incorporate music into your self-care routine: Whether it’s unwinding with some calming classical tunes or dancing out your stress to upbeat pop, let music be part of your emotional regulation toolkit.

4. Explore new genres: Broadening your musical horizons can lead to new experiences and perspectives, potentially influencing your behavior in unexpected ways.

5. Be mindful of your listening habits: Pay attention to how different types of music affect your mood and actions, and adjust accordingly.

As we wrap up this auditory adventure, it’s clear that music’s influence on our behavior is as complex and varied as the melodies themselves. From the subtle ways it shapes our purchasing decisions to its profound impact on our emotional well-being, music is a powerful force in our lives.

Being aware of this influence is the first step in harnessing its potential for positive change. Whether you’re a parent concerned about your child’s musical diet, a business owner looking to create the perfect ambiance, or just someone trying to get through their daily commute without road rage, understanding the relationship between music and behavior can be a game-changer.

As research in this field continues to evolve, we’re likely to uncover even more fascinating insights into how music shapes our actions and interactions. Who knows? The next breakthrough in behavior modification might just come with a catchy beat and a killer hook.

So the next time you find yourself tapping your foot to a rhythm or getting misty-eyed over a ballad, remember – you’re not just listening to a song. You’re participating in a complex interplay of sound, emotion, and action that has the power to shape your behavior in profound ways. And that, my friends, is music to my ears.

After all, as the great philosopher Plato once said, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” So why not let it give a little nudge to your behavior too? Just make sure it’s in the right direction – we don’t want you breaking into spontaneous dance routines in the middle of important business meetings. Unless, of course, that’s your thing. In which case, rock on, you magnificent creature!

References:

1. Saarikallio, S., & Erkkilä, J. (2007). The role of music in adolescents’ mood regulation. Psychology of Music, 35(1), 88-109.

2. Schellenberg, E. G. (2004). Music lessons enhance IQ. Psychological Science, 15(8), 511-514.

3. North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J., & McKendrick, J. (1999). The influence of in-store music on wine selections. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(2), 271-276.

4. Karageorghis, C. I., & Priest, D. L. (2012). Music in the exercise domain: a review and synthesis (Part I). International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 5(1), 44-66.

5. Hallam, S., Price, J., & Katsarou, G. (2002). The effects of background music on primary school pupils’ task performance. Educational Studies, 28(2), 111-122.

6. Lesiuk, T. (2005). The effect of music listening on work performance. Psychology of Music, 33(2), 173-191.

7. Brodsky, W. (2002). The effects of music tempo on simulated driving performance and vehicular control. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 4(4), 219-241.

8. Anderson, C. A., Carnagey, N. L., & Eubanks, J. (2003). Exposure to violent media: The effects of songs with violent lyrics on aggressive thoughts and feelings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(5), 960-971.

9. Bradt, J., Dileo, C., Magill, L., & Teague, A. (2016). Music interventions for improving psychological and physical outcomes in cancer patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (8).

10. Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education, 28(3), 269-289.

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