Hostname: page-component-76d6cb85b7-8p85h Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-07-19T01:05:41.437Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reasonable social cognition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

Richard P. Eibach  and
Igor Grossmann Open the ORCID record for Igor Grossmann [Opens in a new window]
Richard P. Eibach
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada reibach@uwaterloo.ca igrossma@uwaterloo.ca
Igor Grossmann*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada reibach@uwaterloo.ca igrossma@uwaterloo.ca
*
*Corresponding author.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The target article describes social cognitive mechanisms that enable people to make reasonable decisions in situations of interdependent choice where parties have divergent interests. We highlight the need for an integrative program of research on the social-cognitive mechanisms that people use to approximate the reasonableness standard of sound judgment via self-distancing and “inner dialogue” in a variety of decision-making contexts.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e140
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Arendt, H. (1971). Life of the mind. Harcourt.Google Scholar
Billig, M. (1996). Arguing and thinking: A rhetorical approach to social psychology (New ed.). Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Dorfman, A., Oakes, H., Santos, H. C., & Grossmann, I. (2021). Self-distancing promotes positive emotional change after adversity: Evidence from a micro-longitudinal field experiment. Journal of Personality, 89(1), 132–144. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12534.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grossmann, I., Dorfman, A., Oakes, H., Santos, H. C., Vohs, K. D., & Scholer, A. A. (2021). Training for wisdom: The distanced-self-reflection diary method. Psychological Science, 32(3), 381–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620969170 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grossmann, I., & Eibach, R. E. (2024). Metajudgment: Metatheories and beliefs about good judgment across societies. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 33(4), 261–269. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241262335 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grossmann, I., & Eibach, R. P. (2021). Reasonable bounds on rationality. Mind & Society, 20(1), 59–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11299-020-00267-9 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grossmann, I., Eibach, R. P., Koyama, J., & Sahi, Q. B. (2020). Folk standards of sound judgment: Rationality versus reasonableness. Science Advances, 6(2), eaaz0289. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grossmann, I., Gerlach, T. M., & Denissen, J. J. (2016). Wise reasoning in the face of everyday life challenges. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7(7), 611–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/194855061665220 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grossmann, I., & Kross, E. (2010). The impact of culture on adaptive versus maladaptive self-reflection. Psychological science, 21(8), 1150–1157. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610376655 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grossmann, I., & Kross, E. (2014). Exploring Solomon’s paradox: Self-distancing eliminates the self-other asymmetry in wise reasoning about close relationships in younger and older adults. Psychological Science, 25(8), 1571–1580. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614535400 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grossmann, I., Oakes, H., & Santos, H. C. (2019). Wise reasoning benefits from emodiversity, irrespective of emotional intensity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 148(5), 805–823. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000543 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kross, E., & Ayduk, O. (2017). Self-distancing: Theory, research, and current directions. In J. M. Olson (Ed) Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 55, pp. 81–136). Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kross, E., & Grossmann, I. (2012). Boosting wisdom: Distance from the self enhances wise reasoning, attitudes, and behavior. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(1), 43–48. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mead, G. H. (1934/2015). Mind, self, and society (the definitive edition). University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Mercier, H., & Sperber, D. (2011). Why do humans reason? Arguments for an argumentative theory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 34(2), 57–74. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X10000968 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mercier, H., & Sperber, D. (2017). The enigma of reason. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Morris, E. (2003). The fog of war: Eleven lessons from the life of Robert S. McNamara. [Film]. Sony Pictures.Google Scholar
Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Harvard University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scanlon, T. M. (2000). What we owe each other. Harvard University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sibley, W. M. (1953). The rational versus the reasonable. Philosophical Review, 62(4), 555–556. https://doi.org/10.2307/2182461 CrossRefGoogle Scholar