Project Abstract/Summary
People experience distressing events throughout their daily lives. These range from minor setbacks to life-changing tragedies. In such times of distress, receiving appropriate support from close relationship partners is important for personal and social well-being. Yet people in distress often do not receive the support they need. Decades of research has documented the benefits of social support, but the research has not typically focused on actions that people can take to increase their chances of getting support that meets their needs. This project focuses on one particular type of support-seeking behavior that has not been emphasized in distress-related situations: expressing positive thoughts and feelings. Examples of such positive behavior include the expression of optimism about the distressing event or gratitude toward the support-providing partner. The research examines when and for whom expressing such positivity is useful in obtaining support for negative events. The findings are expected to inform the development of interventions to help people more effectively seek the support they need in times of distress.
Drawing on theory and research on emotional expressivity, social support, and close relationships, this project tests a contextual model of support-eliciting behavior that involves the expression of positive thoughts and feelings. In one study, romantic partners are videotaped during the course of support conversations. Two other laboratory experiments control the extent of positive expressivity in support-seeking messages. The studies will inform our understanding of when and for whom positive expressivity promotes responsive support. The first study will also include a longitudinal follow-up, which will permit an examination of downstream personal and relational consequences of support-seeking and support-giving processes. It is expected that support-seekers’ positive expressivity will enhance providers’ responsive support. This result should be especially strong when features of support seekers, support providers, their relationships, or the stressors lead support providers to be low in feelings of warmth and connectedness toward support seekers. It should also be especially strong when contextual features lead support providers to doubt the effectiveness of their support efforts. Focusing on the joint influences of positive expressivity and contextual features will advance basic knowledge about how people can successfully elicit social support in coping with distressing events. The research will help to identify targets for future interventions aimed at enhancing the personal and social well-being of people as they experience distressing events in their daily lives.
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
Amanda Forest – University of Pittsburgh located in PITTSBURGH, PA
Co-Principal Investigators
Funders
Funding Amount
$379,762.00
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