After a long hard day, all you need is the company of your friends to feel better. Researchers at the University of Kansas have found that having a conversation with a friend once during the day can increase your happiness and lower your stress level. Whether it is to catch up, joke around, or simply let them know you are thinking of them, that is all you need.
Jeffrey Hall, University of Kansas professor of communication studies and friendship expert, co-wrote this new study with Amanda Holmstrom, Natalie Pennington, Evan Perrault, and Daniel Totzkay. “Quality Conversation Can Increase Daily Well-Being” was published in the journal Communication Research.
The study made its basis the communicate bond belong theory. According to Oxford Academic, CBB theory proposes that social interaction operates within a homeostatic system. This system is developed from our internal need to satisfy the need to belong. It is also shaped by one’s competing desires to invest and conserve social energy, and adaptable to new social circumstances and technological affordances.
The study identified seven candidate communication episodes and behaviours. A total of three studies took place with varying numbers of participants. The first study had 347 participants, the second study had 310 participants, and the third study had 250 participants. These were randomly assigned to engage in one of these communication episodes or behaviors. They then completed end-of-day measures of well-being.
The researchers studied seven types of communication, that is catching up, meaningful talk, joking around, showing care, listening, valuing others and their opinions, and offering sincere compliments.
When compared in the control groups, participants engaging in candidate behaviours experienced increased well-being. The results suggested that even if people had just one communication behaviour with one friend every day, they can see their daily well-being improved.
Jeffery Hall also drew from his 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 better for our overall well-being than electronic or social media contact.
The study also explained the reason why quality communication makes people feel better. This is because as the CBB theory explained people use conversations with friends to help meet their need to belong. According to Jeffery, this drives home the point that a quality conversation is vital to make our days better.
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