Gabriel and Schneider studied human’s fundamental motivations and their findings have design implications. They “propose that much of modern human behavior can be understood as the outcome of a primitive and implicit desire for social embeddedness (i.e., a desire to belong to a larger, societal-level collective). Research from our lab suggests that people watch television, follow celebrities, and go to concerts and sporting events, at least in part, to fill this need.”
Shira Gabriel and Veronica Schneider. “The Need for Social Embeddedness: Human Belong Goes Beyond Dyadic Bonds.” Current Directions in Psychological Science, in press, https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241257880