In Search of the Enlightenment Effect

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social psychologists have long expressed the hope that their students will apply what they learn about the field's theories and principles to their everyday behavior. Gergen referred to this presumed impact on people's lives as the enlightenment effect. We discuss the type of evidence that would be required to convincingly demonstrate enlightenment effects, and conclude that surprisingly few such studies seem to have been conducted (although social psychology is not unique in this respect). Those that have been published are generally characterized by small sample sizes and appear in low‐impact journals. We discuss the logistical challenges involved in running adequately powered studies of this kind. Nonetheless, we encourage further investigation of the enlightenment effect, even in the absence of a well worked‐out model of the psychological processes it involves.

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