It’s lonely up here

Mars: it’s a long way from Earth, not only in distance, but also familiar faces, places and recreations. What would happen to human personality when living in such unfamiliar and isolating surrounds? A team of ANU psychologists is set to find out.

Defiance, detachment, disagreement — harmful emotions in any small group situation, but in outer space these feelings are particularly damaging and possibly life threatening. 

A team of ANU psychologists from the Faculty of Science is preparing to gather unique insights into the duress of space travel with a simulation of life on Mars to be staged in the Australian desert later this year.

The way small groups of astronauts on space shuttles and stations might interact in the extreme, unfamiliar and isolating conditions of space travel will be closely scrutinised by (pictured, from left) Dr Steve Dawson, PhD student Mr Phill Krins, Dr Kate Reynolds and Dr Rachael Eggins.

The team is preparing to record the interactions of participants of an expedition into the South Australian outback, that is being organised by the Mars Society of Australia. This will follow on from an initial study of participants in a similar planetary simulation in the United States last year.

“The rigorous personality testing astronauts undergo in their relatively cosy, comfortable labs cannot measure how their personality might change in a confined, socially stifling and unfamiliar space,” Dr Eggins said.

“In everyday life we are very dynamic and belong to a number of groups, such as family, work and friends. There are a number of psychological advantages to having such a dynamic social environment, which will be absent when people spend long periods of time in isolation.

“Stress may also be a problem in these environments. It is generally thought that stress occurs when people have too much to do and are overworked. However, stress can also arise from too little work and social activity. During the long journey to Mars, astronauts will not have a lot to do and what they do will be repetitive. They would not be able to pop downto the cinema for some escapism.”

Believing the human element of space exploration should be taken just as seriously as the technological or scientific, the team’s research will focus on how small groups behave in isolated situations, developing guiding principles to avoid social problems.

Mr Krins and Dr Dawson will travel into the desert as part of the Mars Society’s expedition and ask participants — who try and replicate, as closely as possible, what it would be like living and workingon Mars — to complete questionnaires which will monitor social dynamics.

Dr Dawson and Mr Krins will also keep daily journals in order to record any important social events that may affect the dynamics of the group, such as a leadership change.

Participants will also undergo a daily cortisol measurement test and cognitive testing to gauge stress and performance levels.

“One thing we are interested in is the question of whether groups are good or bad for your health,” Dr Eggins says. “We know that in cohesive groups people perform better, work harder and are more cooperative than in loose-knit groups. They can also be emotionally supportive. All this will be important if groups are to function well. But do cohesive groups make us work too hard and what does that do to our stress levels?”

Another issue relates to the problem of the wrong sort of cohesion.

“There is also a danger that groups may become too cohesive,” Mr Krins says.

“If this occurs there may be intense pressure for individual crewmembers to behave in accordance with ‘group norms’ whether they like them or not. If there is a group norm such as not reporting safety breaches, this could put the crew in danger.

“These ultra-cohesive groups present a problem for authority, because they reinforce their own beliefs. When authority — say mission control — gives instructions, with which the group might disagree, it can lead to confrontation.

“In such a delicate situation, this puts lives at risk.”

The team will also be looking at the related issue of what happens when small groups form within the larger group. Past research on groups (whether isolated or not) has shown that it is common for the larger group to split off into smaller subgroups.

“A number of problems can occur in small groups,” Mr Krins says. “Subgroups can splinter off, which could lead to infighting and poor decision-making.”

However, there can be advantages when small groups splinter.

“When a group forms smaller subgroups, these can become a very important source of creative, new ideas that can benefit the larger group,” Dr Eggins says.

“Also, subgroups are an important source of identity and pride for people. When we feel part of a subgroup within a larger group, we can get value from seeing the unique contribution that our group can make to the overall mission.

“When different groups form, people can work hard to achieve its goals, benefiting the mission as a whole. However, it’s important that group differences are managed properly and don’t become a source of conflict or feelings of disenfranchisement.”

The team hopes to develop a negotiation system for small groups to follow in stressful situations caused by isolation and confinement, for example at research base stations in Antarctica, or possibly on a future mission to Mars.

“These principles will ensure that individuals maintain commitment to the whole, have avenues for input into decision making and follow leadership guidelines,” Dr Eggins says.

www.anu.edu.au/psychology/index.php

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