People who have a minority viewpoint on a controversial topic are more likely to "self-silence" themselves in conversation – and that may lead them to behave against their own beliefs, a new study found.
Researchers found that those who felt they were in the minority didn't want to elaborate on why they supported their position when they spoke to someone who held the majority opinion.
But even more important, those with the minority viewpoint showed behavior that wasn't in line with their true opinions after they spoke to those with the opposing view, the study found.
"We found that those with the minority belief didn't just refrain from speaking up – they conformed their behavior to the majority, which is very consequential," said Nicole Sintov , co-author of the study and associate professor of behavior, decision making and sustainability at The Ohio State University.
The research was published online recently in the Journal of Environmental Psychology .
The research involved 248 undergraduate students at Ohio State.
At the beginning of the study, the participants were asked "how supportive are you of The Ohio State University providing more plant-based (vegetarian/vegan) foods in on campus dining facilities?" They rated their support on a scale of 1 (very opposed) to 7 (very supportive).
The participants knew, by virtue of being a student at the university, that they were immersed in a campus-wide culture that generally supports plant-based foods, the researchers said. Participants were also informed of the university's sustainability goals, which signaled support for sustainable foods.
Participants were told they would be paired with a fellow undergraduate student conversation partner to discuss the proposed plant-based food policy. In actuality, these partners were confederates who worked with the researchers and were assigned to give the same three arguments (on ethical, health and environmental grounds) either for or against the food proposal.
The three-minute conversations were recorded and the responses of the participants were analyzed.
Findings showed that those with minority viewpoints self-silenced when speaking with the confederates who expressed the majority opinion. But even those students with minority views who spoke to confederates who shared a similar opinion self-silenced, although not to the same extent.
Sintov, a faculty member in Ohio State's School of Environment and Natural Resources , said that wasn't entirely surprising.
"They were strangers, so they still may not have felt comfortable sharing these minority views. And some people are total self-silencers who have this policy that they just won't discuss controversial subjects, under any circumstances," she said.
It wasn't that self-silencers didn't say anything, the researchers found. But they weren't expressing their true opinion. They may have used avoidance tactics, such as showing uncertainty, indifference, or just changing the topic of conversation.
Overall, those with the minority viewpoint used fewer total unique arguments for their position than did those holding the majority opinion.
"If you don't speak up with your true opinion, then you're not processing the conversation as deeply," Sintov said. "You're not analyzing and thinking and reflecting on the information in the conversation in the same way that you might if you did speak up."
And that may have even affected their behavior.
After the conversation, the students took part in an activity where they could raise money in support of the plant-based foods policy. They did this by clicking their mouse as many times as they could in 40 seconds, a task that had been validated in a previous study.
Findings showed that those who opposed the plant-based foods policy clicked the mouse about as many times as did those who said they supported it, in opposition to their own self-stated beliefs.
Overall, the study findings suggest self-silencing can have concerning effects, Sintov said.
"It leads to a public perception that the minority viewpoint doesn't exist – it is less important. It becomes this vicious cycle where people's true thoughts aren't expressed and the public belief is the majority opinion is overwhelming and can't be changed," she said.
"That's especially true if those with the minority viewpoints are behaviorally going along with the majority. It is just more evidence that the majority opinion is dominant."
The findings call for people to become more aware of their own beliefs and how they express them. Those with minority views need to be willing to discuss their true beliefs, even if they feel uncomfortable, Sintov said.
And on the other side, those in the majority need to be willing to hear the thoughts of the other side, even if they don't agree with them.
"We need to be open to civil discourse in our society. It has to be a two-way street," Sintov said.
The study was led by Kristin Hurst, a former Ohio State postdoctoral researcher now faculty at Southern Illinois University. Other co-authors were Grant Donnelly, assistant professor of marketing at Ohio State, and Logan Hobbs, an Ohio State graduate now at Michigan State University.
