A Meta-Analytic Review of the Association between Theory of Mind and Aggression

Although the association between theory of mind (ToM) and aggression has been theorized, empirical findings have been mixed and have not revealed a clear link between these two constructs. In the current meta-analytic review, we integrated findings from 83 studies (which yielded 141 effect sizes in total) involving 41,650 participants from 18 different countries to elucidate the association between ToM and aggression in typically developing children, adolescents, and adults (2.5 to 31 years). We found significant negative associations between ToM and aggression (rs = -.06 to -.22), regardless of the age, gender, or culture of the participants, or how the two constructs were defined and measured. The strength of negative association, however, varied as a function of methodological variables: First, studies that used self-report questionnaires to measure ToM and aggression yielded the strongest effect sizes, compared to those that used task-based assessments or questionnaires completed by other informants (parents, teachers, peers). Second, ToM measures that captured diverse cognitive mental state understanding (e.g., desires, intentions, knowledge) yielded a stronger mean effect than those that focused on false belief understanding. Third, the magnitude of negative association was found to increase with the participants’ age, but both studies with children/adolescents and adults yielded significant negative links between ToM and aggression. These results point to the critical role of ToM in reducing aggressive tendencies across development, and suggest the value in implementing interventions to improve mental state understanding across the age range to foster peaceful social interactions and mitigate poor life outcomes.