Quantum mechanics

Function (biology)

Philosophy

Utopia

Biology

Collective action

Social psychology

Anthropology

Evolutionary biology

Physics

Aesthetics

Psychology

Environmental ethics

Politics

Political science

Epistemology

Sociology

Action (physics)

Compensation (psychology)

Vision

Criticism

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Images of ideal societies, utopias, are all around us; yet, little is known of how utopian visions affect ordinary people's engagement with their societies. As goals for society, utopias may elicit processes of collective self-regulation, in which citizens are critical of, or take action to change, the societies they live in. In three studies, we investigated the psychological function of utopian thinking. In Study 1, measured utopianism was correlated with the activation of three utopian functions: change, critique, and compensation. In Study 2, primed utopian thinking consistently enhanced change and criticism intentions. Study 3 also provided evidence that mental contrasting-first imagining a utopian vision and then mentally contrasting the current society to this vision-underlies the facilitative effect of utopian thinking on societal engagement.

Functions of Utopia: How Utopian Thinking Motivates Societal Engagement