Have you ever noticed that you perform differently when someone is watching? Whether you’re exercising at a gym full of people or presenting a well-rehearsed idea at work, an audience has a measurable effect on how you perform. That effect has a name: social facilitation.
Social facilitation in psychology is an effect with surprisingly practical implications for how you work, study, and pursue your goals. I break down what social facilitation means, when it helps, and when it doesn’t. I also share several examples of social facilitation and an exercise that can help you use the effect to your advantage in everyday life.
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What Is Social Facilitation in Psychology?
What is social facilitation in psychology? It’s the phenomenon that we often perform better when others are watching. In 1898, psychologist Norman Triplett conducted the earliest research into what would become known as social facilitation. When studying bicycle races, he found that cyclists achieved faster times when competing against others than when racing alone.
Generally, historians credit psychologist Floyd Allport with formally coining and defining the term “social facilitation.” In a 1920 study, he conducted six experiments comparing individual performance in isolation versus in a group. He found that people tend to perform better when in a group setting than when working alone.
In her book Get It Done, psychologist and behavioral science professor Ayelet Fishbach writes about social facilitation in the context of achieving your goals. Observers make us more alert and energized, she explains, which helps us do simple tasks better.
Fishbach adds that people watching us also makes us take our actions more seriously. This is why making a promise in front of others (such as declaring a New Year’s resolution at a party) usually motivates us more than making the same promise to ourselves; we feel a stronger need to follow through when others know about our commitment.
Some research suggests that you don’t even need people physically watching you (or watching you in person) to feel the effect of social facilitation; sometimes simply having a photo of someone on your desk or being on a video call can make you work harder.
When Social Facilitation Doesn’t Work
There’s an important caveat to social facilitation. Triplett observed competitive cyclists—athletes with training and experience. Earlier, I mentioned Fishbach’s description of social facilitation in psychology. Notice something specific in what she says: Facilitation helps us do simple tasks better. She goes on to say that the effect often doesn’t apply when we’re doing something difficult or new. This is because having people watch us can make us nervous and cause us to perform worse.
Through multiple experiments in the 1960s, social psychologist Robert Zajonc helped explain this flip side of the social facilitation coin. He found that having an audience strengthens our dominant response; our most habitual or preferred reaction becomes more likely. The problem is, our dominant response could be “correct” or “incorrect.” Here’s how it breaks down:
- If the task is easy or well-practiced, the dominant response is the correct one. Thus, performance improves (social facilitation).
- If the task is hard or novel, the dominant response is likely an incorrect one. Thus, performance suffers.
Social Facilitation Examples
I mentioned the classic example of social facilitation above, where it all started with Norman Triplett’s research into cyclists. Here are a few more examples that can help you understand the concept better.
Students studying in a library—A student who’s confident in the material they’re reviewing often retains and recalls it better when studying in a quiet public space (such as a library with others present) compared to studying entirely alone; the social presence subtly heightens focus and engagement.
“Study with me” videos—Similarly, content creators livestreaming themselves studying for hours can provide a motivation boost. These videos make it feel like you’re sitting with a study partner, and they often include timers, ambient sounds, and aesthetic room setups to create an immersive experience. Psychologists suggest that these videos help you stay focused because you see the creator studying on your screen whenever you’re tempted to check your phone or browse websites.
Athletes performing in front of crowds—A sprinter often runs faster in a race with a cheering crowd than during a solo training session. The audience creates arousal that enhances performance on this well-practiced, dominant skill.
Workers on a factory floor—Assembly line workers tend to be more productive when working alongside colleagues than when working in isolation. The co-presence of others doing similar tasks raises their overall pace and efficiency.
Musicians on stage—An experienced pianist who has mastered a piece will typically play it more fluidly and expressively in a live concert than in a private rehearsal. The presence of an audience elevates their performance on a skill they know deeply.
An Example of the Flip Side of the Coin
This past winter, I joined a group of cross-country skiers that skis together weekly. I got frustrated when I couldn’t keep up with the others. I ended up going out on my own, and I did much better.
Social facilitation theory explains why this happened: I’m fairly new to the sport—I’m not well-trained or experienced yet. Once I have more experience under my belt, I’ll be ready to join the group again and reap the benefits of social facilitation.
Exercise: Put Social Facilitation to Work for You
Use these prompts to reflect on how social facilitation shows up in your own life—and how to use it to your advantage.
- Think of a time when you performed better with an audience. What were you doing, and why do you think the presence of others helped? Was the task something you had practiced or felt confident about?
- Think of a time an audience made you perform worse. What made that situation different? Looking back, how does Zajonc’s dominant response theory help explain what happened?
- Identify one goal or habit you’re currently working on. Is it simple or practiced? Is it challenging or new? Based on what you’ve learned, would adding a social element (a friend, a public commitment, a “study with me” video) likely help or hurt your progress right now?
- Think about your work or study environment. Are there low-effort, routine tasks you could move to a more social setting to get a productivity boost? Conversely, are there complex tasks you should protect from an audience until you’ve built more confidence?
- Make one concrete change this week based on what you’ve learned about social facilitation in psychology—whether that’s studying in a library, announcing a goal to a friend, or finding a “study with me” video to work alongside. Note how it affects your focus and performance.
