Project Abstract/Summary
People with good relationships live longer and healthier lives. This project focuses on what makes good relationships good, and how those relationships transmit benefits to the people who have them. One important part of a good relationship is feeling like a partner understands, validates, and cares for you. People communicate understanding, validation, and care (responsiveness) in the words they say and the way they say them, and sometimes without words at all. In addition, some people are more easily able to give and receive responsive behavior based on how secure they feel in their relationships. This research looks at the separate ways that words and nonverbal cues are used to show responsiveness, and how each type of communication is uniquely beneficial to the self, the relationship, and physiological function. It also tests whether feeling secure in a relationship plays a role in being able to benefit from responsiveness. Learning how verbal and nonverbal responsive behavior are separately beneficial, and who benefits most, can help identify specific behaviors to help people be more responsive to each other and to improve the quality of their relationships. Sharing the results of this work with the scientific community and society at large will help support healthier social connections.
The project draws from a convergence of theory and research in social psychology, health psychology, neuroscience and communication studies. The research compares the effects of verbal (words) and nonverbal (tone of voice and touch) responsive behavior on personal well-being, relationship quality, and physiological pathways to health (e.g., stress hormone production, cardiovascular activity, sleep). It also tests whether feeling secure in relationships affects whether people are able to be responsive or benefit from a partner’s responsive behavior. The project focuses on romantic couples, friends, and strangers using longitudinal, behavioral, and daily diary methods. The related educational goals of this work include increasing participation in science among people from underrepresented groups. This project supports the development of new courses in relationship science, mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in research, and sharing basic information about the results with the diverse community within and around Brooklyn College.
This award reflects NSF’s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation’s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Principal Investigator
Cheryl Carmichael – CUNY Brooklyn College located in BROOKLYN, NY
Co-Principal Investigators
Funders
Funding Amount
$948,972.00
Project Start Date
03/01/2020
Project End Date
02/28/2026
Will the project remain active for the next two years?
The project has more than two years remaining
Source: National Science Foundation
Please be advised that recent changes in federal funding schemes may have impacted the project’s scope and status.
Updated: April, 2025