Just one quality conversation with a friend boosts daily well-being
In-person beats online, but a phone call will do
Date:
February 2, 2023
Source:
University of Kansas
Summary:
Study shows just one quality conversation with a friend during
the day makes you happier and less stressed by day's end.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Conversing with a friend just once during the day to catch up, joke
around or tell them you're thinking of them can increase your happiness
and lower your stress level by day's end.
========================================================================== These are among the results of a new study co-authored by University
of Kansas professor of Communication Studies and friendship expert
Jeffrey Hall.
"Quality Conversation Can Increase Daily Well-Being" was published in the journal Communication Researchby Hall and co-authors Amanda Holmstrom,
Natalie Pennington, Evan Perrault and Daniel Totzkay. The study was
informed by and provides further support for Hall's Communicate Bond
Belong (CBB) theory of relationships. Hall is the director of KU's Relationships and Technology Lab.
"This paper was an attempt to define quality communication in the context
of relationships," Hall said."The types of communication we chose to
study were ones shown in past research to make people feel more bonded
through conversation." There were seven:
* Catching up * Meaningful talk * Joking around * Showing care *
Listening * Valuing others and their opinions * Offering sincere
compliments
Over 900 study participants from five university campuses -- before,
during and after pandemic lockdowns -- were directed to engage in one
of the seven communication behaviors on a single day, and then reported
back that night about their feelings of stress, connection, anxiety, well-being, loneliness and the quality of their day.
As it turned out, Hall said, it didn't matter which of these quality conversations someone had. The very act of intentionally reaching out
to a friend in one of these ways was what mattered most.
"One of the take-home messages of this study is that there are many
paths toward the same goal," Hall said.
He said the study was also designed to explore the impact of both the
quality and quantity of daily communications.
"There's a lot of good research that says the number of interactions
you have as well as the quality of interactions are both associated with
being a less lonely, happier and more connected person," said Hall. This
study found that once is enough, but more is better. Participants who
chose to have more quality conversations had better days.
"This means the more that you listened to your friends, the more that
you showed care, the more that you took time to value others' opinions,
the better you felt at the end of the day," he said.
"The experimental design means that it's not just people who are already
having fulfilling lives who have higher-quality conversations," Hall
said. "This study suggests that anyone who makes time for high-quality conversation can improve their well-being. We can change how we feel
on any given day through communication. Just once is all it takes."
The study also brought in Hall's past research on different ways to
connect in the era of social and mobile media. The study found high
quality face-to-face communication was more closely associated with
well-being than electronic or social media contact.
"If at least one of their quality conversations was face-to-face, that mattered," Hall said.
The paper also explains why quality communication makes people feel
better. CBB theory claims that people use conversations with friends to
help get their need to belong met.
"Across these three studies, quality conversation mattered most for
connection and stress," Hall said. "This supports the idea that we use communication to get our need to belong met, and, in doing so, it helps
us manage our stress." What is exciting about this research, Hall said,
is that it shows there are a host of good things that come along with
just one good conversation with a friend. This drives home the point
that making time for quality conversation makes our days better.
* RELATED_TOPICS
o Mind_&_Brain
# Social_Psychology # Relationships # Sleep_Disorders #
Perception # Anxiety # Neuroscience # Child_Development
# Stress
* RELATED_TERMS
o Circadian_rhythm_sleep_disorder o Jet_lag o Dementia
o Personality_psychology o Narcolepsy_(sleep_disorder) o
Quality_of_life o Psycholinguistics o Psychotherapy
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Kansas. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jeffrey A. Hall, Amanda J. Holmstrom, Natalie Pennington, Evan K.
Perrault, Daniel Totzkay. Quality Conversation Can Increase Daily
Well- Being. Communication Research, 2023; 009365022211393 DOI:
10.1177/ 00936502221139363 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230202135217.htm
--- up 48 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)