Belief in Social Mobility Mitigates Hostility Resulting From Disadvantaged Social Standing

Comparing economically unfavorably with similar others has detrimental consequences for an individual, ultimately resulting in low physical health, delinquency, and hostility. In four studies (N = 2,032), we examined whether believing in a mobile society—one offering fair chances and opportunity—mitigates hostile emotions resulting from disadvantaged social standing. We find that with increasing mobility belief, negative comparisons have gradually less impact on hostility. Specifically, measured (Studies 1 and 4) and manipulated (Studies 2 and 3) social mobility belief moderated the link between induced high versus low social status, experiencing relative deprivation, and hostile affect. A positive outcome on the surface, social mobility belief may indirectly contribute to the maintenance of social inequality by appeasing anger about perceived injustice