# Understanding How Psychological Distance Influences User Preferences in Conversational Versus Web Search

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.19982 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.19982/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 30 Sep 2024.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Multi-Agents are Social Groups: Investigating Social Influence of Multiple Agents in Human-Agent Interactions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.04578/) (2024)
- [LLM Agent Meets Agentic AI: Can LLM Agents Simulate Customers to Evaluate Agentic-AI-based Shopping Assistants?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.21501/) (2025)
- [Personality over Precision: Exploring the Influence of Human-Likeness on ChatGPT Use for Search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.06447/) (2025)
- [Polite But Boring? Trade-offs Between Engagement and Psychological Reactance to Chatbot Feedback Styles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.20683/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Conversational search offers an easier and faster alternative to conventional web search, while having downsides like lack of source verification. Research has examined performance disparities between these two systems in different settings. However, little work has considered the effects of variations within a given search task. We hypothesize that psychological distance - one's perceived closeness to a target event - affects information needs in search tasks, and investigate the corresponding effects on user preferences between web and conversational search systems. We find that with greater psychological distances, users perceive conversational search as more credible, useful, enjoyable, and easy to use, and demonstrate increased preference for this system. We reveal qualitative reasons for these differences and provide design implications for search system designers.