“If you agree with me, it must be true”: Social verification creates shared reality and consolidates impressions

Shared reality about one’s judgments can be reinforced through social verification. Yet, it is unknown whether receiving verification about one’s impressions of others tend to consolidate such impressions. Across four experiments (N = 1342), participants evaluated pairs of similarly qualified applicants based on photos and brief descriptions, then made hiring choices with a fictitious partner. Decisions were either verified or not. Impression consolidation was assessed as evaluative choice-consistency in trait attributions, that is, the tendency to assign positive vs. negative traits to pictures of selected (vs. non-selected) applicants. Verification increased perceived shared reality, epistemic trust, and relational motivation toward the partner. It also enhanced choice-consistency in trait attribution, regardless of mood and feelings directed towards the partner (Experiments 1–2), but only for job-relevant traits (Experiment 3) and, as suggested by a non-significant pattern, mainly for traits presented in or implied by the applicant’s descriptions (Experiment 4). Self-reported shared reality with the partner correlated positively with choice-consistency parameters. These findings indicate that social verification not only strengthens the sense of shared reality but also consolidates impressions, offering novel insights into communication, social cognition, and decision-making.