Many hands make light the work: The causes and consequences of social loafing
Latané, Williams and Harkins report two experiments in which people performing physically exerting tasks, such as clapping and shouting, put in much less individual effort when working in groups than when working alone. They call this drop social loafing and say it occurs in addition to losses from poor coordination. The article discusses the generality and theoretical importance of the effect, how widespread it is, its negative consequences for society and some conditions that can reduce it.
Latané, Williams and Harkins report two experiments in which people performing physically exerting tasks, such as clapping and shouting, put in much less individual effort when working in groups than when working alone. They call this drop social loafing and say it occurs in addition to losses from poor coordination. The article discusses the generality and theoretical importance of the effect, how widespread it is, its negative consequences for society and some conditions that can reduce it.
Written from the abstract read 2026-10-27 via OpenAlex.
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Latané, B., Williams, K., & Harkins, S. (1979). Many hands make light the work: The causes and consequences of social loafing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(6), 822-832. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.37.6.822