Shared Reality: Experiencing Commonality With Others' Inner States About the World.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Theory paper and narrative review without new empirical data (graded by design analogy).
PubMed 26162223 · doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01161.x
What was done
This theoretical paper introduces a conceptual framework for shared reality defined by four conditions: subjective perceived commonality of inner states, focus on a target referent, appropriate motivation, and the experience of a successful connection to others' inner states. The authors review prior evidence, emphasizing the "saying-is-believing" effect, and delineate shared reality from related constructs such as empathy, perspective taking, theory of mind, and common ground.
What was found
No quantitative data, sample sizes, or statistical metrics are reported in the abstract. The paper provides a conceptual argument that shared reality offers a more comprehensive explanation of saying-is-believing experimental findings than competing models.
Why it matters
The work provides a conceptual foundation for how humans align subjective inner states during social communication, differentiating this process from behavioral mimicry or basic perspective taking.
Limits
The publication is a conceptual framework and narrative review presenting no new empirical data or systematic review methodology. The abstract lacks quantitative verification.
Cited by
- supports Experiencing shared reality during communication enhances the perceived truth value of the interaction.