United agency in joint action: A survey study of its prevalence, facilitating factors, and social and emotional effects

• Published in: Acta psychologica 2024-10, Vol.250, p.104484, Article 104484
• Main Authors: Trần, Hoàng Anh, Cummings, Jorden A., Loehr, Janeen D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Cooperative Behavior; Emotions - physiology; Empathy; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Joint action; Joint agency; Male; Middle Aged; Personality; Sense of agency; Surveys and Questionnaires; United agency; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0001-6918; 1873-6297; 1873-6297
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104484

United agency refers to a sense of ‘acting as one’ that sometimes occurs when people engage in joint actions such as group music-making, dancing, and team sports. First-hand accounts of united agency have been reported in a variety of settings, but there exists little systematic evidence regarding when and why the sense of united agency arises. The current study addressed this gap using an online survey in which participants reported general information about their experiences of united agency as well as detailed descriptions of a single memorable experience. Most participants reported experiencing united agency at least occasionally, and those scoring higher on extraversion, agreeableness, and cognitive empathy experienced it more frequently. Memorable experiences of united agency were reported more often in joint actions characterized by synchronous or highly rhythmic coordination, salient shared goals, close or long-term relationships among co-performers, and small to medium group sizes. United agency was often accompanied by positive affect, feelings of alignment and social connection with co-performers, a sense of empowerment, and heightened attention. Together, these findings elucidate the individual characteristics and joint action features that facilitate united agency, shed light on its positive social and emotional consequences, and suggest important avenues for further work investigating its underlying mechanisms. •United agency is a sense of ‘acting as one’ that sometimes occurs during joint action.•We carried out an online survey to investigate when and why united agency occurs.•Most people reported experiencing united agency at least occasionally.•Extraversion, agreeableness, and cognitive empathy increased its frequency.•Synchrony, salient shared goals, close relations, and smaller groups also promoted it.