The Choice That Chooses You Back: Introducing Social Variety-Seeking as a Trait Predicting Greater Network Brokerage Through Building Connections With Previously Disconnected Others

Abstract

Variety is the spice of life. For dining and consumable products, decision makers often seek variety and choose behaviors deliberately to deviate from their previous behaviors. Relatedly, interacting with a larger number of unique individuals or individuals from a larger number of categories (e.g., family, friends, etc.) increases personal well-being. We introduce Social Variety Seeking (SVS) as a trait referring to the tendency to engage in varied social activities with myriad and diverse others, and develop a psychometrically valid questionnaire. SVS differs from other forms of variety seeking because forming relationships is a choice that chooses you back. We hypothesize and find that those high vs. low in SVS differ in their network structures, with greater brokerage resulting from adding ties to individuals who were disconnected from their existing ties. We conclude that SVS is a valid individual difference that influences relationship-building behavior.

Keywords: Social Networks, Individual Differences, Personality, Social Variety Seeking, Network Brokerage, Trait, Questionnaire