(Article) Just one quality conversation with a friend boosts daily well-being

These are among the results of a new study co-authored by University of Kansas professor of Communication Studies and friendship expert Jeffrey Hall.

"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. 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.

Read the complete article available at ScienceDaily!

#Friendship #Communication #Well-being #MentalHealth

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