Abstract
This study seeks initial evidence for the patterns of nonverbal adaptation predictive of emotional improvement after a troubles talk conversation. A total of 128 dyads composed of two unacquainted individuals engaged in a 5-minute conversation about a stressful event, and the nonverbal behaviors of both the supportive listener and discloser were coded for immediacy. We detected a general pattern of matching between interlocutors, which was positively associated with disclosers’ reported emotional improvement above and beyond listener immediacy. Importantly, we found primary support for a discloser-matching model whereby emotional improvement is a function of disclosers matching highly immediate listeners but no support for a listener-matching model whereby emotional improvement is a function of listeners matching disclosers to signal empathy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3-19 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Communication Studies |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by a Pilot Funding for New Research (Pfund) grant and a Research Competitiveness Subprogram (RCS) grant, both awarded to Graham Bodie from the Louisiana Board of Regents.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Central States Communication Association.
Copyright:
Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Comforting
- Matching
- Mimicry
- Social Support
- Supportive Communication