From Self to Stranger: A Hierarchical Pattern of Subjective Value in Social Contexts

Abstract

Self-bias is well-documented in perception and memory, but the role of self in subjective value across social relationships remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining how subjective value is shaped by social closeness. Study 1 established a clear hierarchical pattern: shapes associated with the self were valued most, followed by those linked to a friend, then a stranger. Study 2 replicated and extended this pattern through three sub-experiments, confirming its robustness when replacing “friend” with “mother,” using real names, and employing more complex visual stimuli. Study 3 used a double randomization design across two sub-experiments to show that social psychological distance mediates the impact of social closeness on subjective value. Specifically, Study 3a showed that social closeness influences social psychological distance, while Study 3b demonstrated that social psychological distance impacts subjective value. Together, these findings move beyond traditional dualistic comparisons, revealing a hierarchical pattern in subjective value. They underscore the central role of self-referential mechanisms in social cognition and highlight social psychological distance as a key underlying factor. These findings have implications for understanding the hierarchical structure of subjective value and provide a basis for exploring its generalizability across diverse cultural and contextual domains.