This phenomenon was first identified in 1882 by agricultural engineer Maximilien Ringelmann (FR), who studied the tensile force exerted by individuals on a rope. He measured the individual pulling forces and the combined force of all participants. His findings showed that the group force was not more significant than the sum of the individual forces.
It was observed that the more people there were in the group, the lower the individual effort. Further experiment analysis revealed the conditions or factors contributing to this phenomenon.
Social laziness tends to increase:
- With larger group sizes
- When there is a lack of information about others' performance
- In groups with an individualistic culture
- With the age of the participants
On the other hand, social laziness tends to decrease:
- With more complex tasks
- When the task is attractive to individuals
- When individual performance is valued
- With a higher level of camaraderie, intimacy, or group membership
It is worth noting that social laziness does not seem to depend on the task type (whether physical, cognitive, or evaluative).