Mental Health News
A team of researchers at the University of Kansas explored how talking to a friend just once during the day can reduce stress levels. The study is published in the journal Communication Research.
The Study
The researchers carried out the survey three times—before, during, and after the pandemic lockdowns. They recruited around 900 study participants from university campuses and asked them to engage in one of the seven assigned communication behaviors (like catching up with a friend, joking around or having a meaningful conversation, offering sincere compliments, etc.) for a day. They then reported their levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness, and quality of life.
The Findings
The results revealed that even a brief quality conversation with a friend reduces stress and anxiety levels. In fact, high-quality face-to-face communication with a loved one can make us happier and help abate risks of mental health conditions like depression.
The authors added: “This study suggests that anyone who makes time for high-quality conversation can improve their well-being. This supports the idea that we use communication to get our need to belong met, and, in doing so, it helps us manage our stress.”
To Know More You May Refer To
Hall, J. A., Holmstrom, A. J., Pennington, N., Perrault, E. K., & Totzkay, D. (2023). Quality Conversation Can Increase Daily Well-Being. Communication Research, 009365022211393. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502221139363