A brush with greatness: Audience reactions to basking in reflected glory

Abstract The primary goal of this study was to examine whether basking in reflected glory (BIRGing) (i.e., publicly advertising associations with successful or famous persons) is an effective self-presentation strategy. It was predicted that a BIRGing target would be rated more positively by observers than a non-BIRGing target, and that BIRGing that is prompted (vs. unprompted) would lead to the most favourable evaluations. It was also hypothesized that a BIRGing target would be rated less positively after disclosing a self-esteem threat. A 2 (self-esteem threat vs. no self-esteem threat) X 3 (basking prompted vs. basking unprompted vs. no basking) ANOVA did not support the primary hypothesis: Participants evaluated the non-basking target more favourably than the basking target. The self-esteem threat prediction was supported. Results suggest that basking in reflected glory is not the most effective strategy to use when one is attempting to manage the impressions of others.