fntnul •/ Ptn—ittty mi Ucial PtyckoUa 1974. Vol. M. No. J, 364-3 7S Basking in Reflected Glory: Three (Football) Field Studies Robert B. Cialdini Arizona State University Avril Thorne Arizona State University Richard J. Borden Purdue University Marcus Randall Walker and Stephen Freeman Ohio State University Lloyd Reynolds Sloan University of Notre Dame The tendency to "bask in reflected glory" (BIRG) by publicly announcing one's associations with successful others was investigated in three field experi- ments. All three studies showed this effect to occur even though the person striving to bask in the glory of a successful source was not involved in the cause of the source's success. Experiment 1 demonstrated the BIRG phenome- non by showing a greater tendency for university students to wear school- identifying apparel after their school's football team had been victorious than nonvictorious. Experiments 2 and 3 replicated this effect by showing that stu- dents used the pronoun tee more when describing a victory than a nonvktory of their school's football team. A model was developed asserting that the BIRG response represents an attempt to enhance one's public image. Experiments 2 and 3 indicated, in support of this assertion, that the tendency to proclaim a connection with a positive source was strongest when one's publk image was threatened. It is a common and understandable tend- ency for people who have been successful in some positive way to make others aware of their connection with that accomplishment. However, there also appears to be a seem- ingly less rational but perhaps more inter- esting tendency for people to publicize a connection with another person who has been successful. This latter inclination might be called the tendency to bask in reflected glory (BIRG). That is, people appear to feel that they can share in the glory of a successful other with whom they are in some way asso- ciated; one manifestation of this feeling is the public trumpeting of the association. Such a phenomenon is not hard to understand when the one wishing to share in another's success has been instrumental to that success. How- ever, the more intriguing form of the phe- nomenon occurs when the one who basks in the glory of another has done nothing to Requests for reprints should be sent to Robert B. Ctaidini, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281. bring about the other's success. Here, i simple case of affiliation or membership U sufficient to stimulate a public announcement of the critical connection. There does seem to be abundant anecdotal evidence that people try to make us cognizant of their connections with highly positive or successful others. The forms of these connec- tions are varied. For example, they may im- ply similarity of residence, past or present States and cities like to list the names of famous entertainers, statesmen, beauty con- test winners, etc., who live or were born within their boundaries; the state of Indiani has even gone so far as to brag that mor* vice-presidents of the United States have come from Indiana than any other state. Other such connections involve ethnic or religious affiliation: Italians speak proudly of the ethnic background of Marconi, and Jew; refer to Einstein's heritage. Still other con- nections reflect physical similarities: "Napo- leon was short, too." Sexual identity may also give rise to the BIRG phenomenon: At .t women's movement forum attended by on: of the authors, there was a round of feminin; 366