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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (10 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2023)

Recent work has identified self-compassion, or, the tendency to treat oneself with kindness in the face of suffering or failure, as a promising target for well-being interventions. Although research focusing on self-compassion has increased exponentially in recent years, the mechanisms and boundary conditions of these interventions are still unclear. Some research posits emotion regulation as a mechanism in the relationship between self-compassion and positive outcomes, but many open questions remain. The present study was designed to address two main aims: first, to test two brief self-kindness exercises to identify unique benefits of thinking kindly of oneself relative to behaving kindly toward oneself. Second, I sought to experimentally, cross-sectionally, and longitudinally investigate the relationship between self-compassion and emotion regulation. To that end, 739 undergraduate students participated in a weeklong study, where they were randomly assigned to engage in either a cognitive self-kindness activity (i.e., self-compassion), a behavioral self-kindness activity, or a neutral activity. Most of my between-condition hypotheses were unsupported, although ancillary analyses suggest that specific participants—namely, Latinx and first-generation college students—may have uniquely benefited from the self-compassion exercise. Contrary to my predictions, engaging in behavioral self-kindness increased self-compassion relative to the control condition and, surprisingly, those who were instructed to practice self-compassion. Most of my hypotheses about the association between trait self-compassion and emotion regulation were supported, replicating and extending patterns identified in previous research. Further, results from multilevel growth models suggest that trait self-compassion uniquely predicts emotion regulation success and use of cognitive reappraisal over the course of 1 week. Overall, the present work builds on prior research linking self-compassion, well-being, and emotion regulation, but null and counterintuitive results suggest that more research is necessary to understand the complex relationships among these constructs.

    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2022)
    Subjective well-being is characterized by relatively frequent positive emotions, relatively infrequent negative emotions, and high life satisfaction. Although myriad research topics related to subjective well-being have been explored - from how it should be measured to how it affects physical health - a key finding is that social connections are crucial. Researchers are therefore increasingly exploring whether subjective well-being can be improved through interventions that encourage specific types of social behaviors, including prosociality, gratitude, extraversion, and brief social interactions. We review this recent work, highlighting potential behavioral and psychological mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of such interventions, along with their boundary conditions.
      Cover page: Experimental effects of social behavior on well-being
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2023)
      Gratitude activities have been shown to increase well-being and other positive outcomes in numerous experiments to date. The current study tested whether self-directed gratitude interventions that vary by type (i.e., social vs. nonsocial) and format (i.e., long-form letters vs. shorter lists) produce differential benefits. To that end, 958 Australian adults were assigned to one of six activities to complete each day for 1 week, including five gratitude activities that varied by type and format and an active control condition (i.e., keeping track of daily activities). Regressed change analyses revealed that, overall, long-form writing exercises (i.e., essays and letters) resulted in greater subjective well-being and other positive outcomes than lists. Indeed, those who were instructed to write social and nonsocial gratitude lists did not differ from controls on any outcomes. However, participants who wrote unconstrained gratitude lists-that is, those who wrote about any topics they wanted-reported greater feelings of gratitude and positive affect than did controls. Finally, relative to the other gratitude conditions, participants who wrote gratitude letters to particular individuals in their lives not only showed stronger feelings of gratitude, elevation, and other positive emotions but also reported feeling more indebted. This study demonstrates that not only does gratitude "work" to boost well-being relative to an active neutral activity, but that some forms of gratitude may be more effective than others. We hope these findings help scholars and practitioners to develop, tailor, implement, and scale future gratitude-based interventions.

      Supplementary information

      The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-022-00160-3.
        Cover page: Are Some Ways of Expressing Gratitude More Beneficial Than Others? Results From a Randomized Controlled Experiment.
        • Article
        • Peer Reviewed
        UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2022)
        Gratitude science often conflates the processes of actors recalling and sharing gratitude, as well as neglecting to study targets (benefactors receiving gratitude) and witnesses (those witnessing gratitude). We explored the roles (actors, targets, and witnesses) and processes (recalling, sharing, receiving, and witnessing) involved in gratitude exchanges. In Study 1, undergraduate students (actors; N = 369) wrote letters about either gratitude or daily activities to their parents (targets; N = 247), with half instructed to share their letters with their parents, and half not to share. In Study 2, adolescents (witnesses; N = 267) read either gratitude, positive, or neutral letters written by hypothetical peers addressed to benefactors. Actors recalling gratitude showed improvements in state gratitude, mood, and satisfaction (partial rs = .11 to.15; Study 1); actors sharing gratitude experienced boosts in state gratitude and relationship closeness (rs = .13 to.19; Study 1); targets receiving gratitude demonstrated increases in state gratitude, indebtedness, and elevation (rs = .14 to.16; Study 1); and witnesses observing gratitude reported increased positive affect and elevation (rs =.24), but decreased state gratitude (r = −.12; Study 2). These studies provide initial evidence that different gratitude roles and processes have divergent effects.
          Cover page: The role of actors, targets, and witnesses: Examining gratitude exchanges in a social context
          • Article
          • Peer Reviewed
          UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2022)
          Although chemistry is a well-known, sought-after interpersonal phenomenon, it has remained relatively unexplored in the psychological literature. The purpose of this article is to begin articulating a theoretically grounded and precise definition of interpersonal chemistry. To that end, we propose a conceptual model of interpersonal chemistry centered around the notion that when two or more individuals experience chemistry with one another, they experience their interaction as something more than the sum of their separate contributions. Our model stipulates that chemistry encompasses both behavior (i.e., what chemistry "looks like") and its perception (i.e., what it "feels like"). The behavior involves interaction sequences in which synchronicity is high and in which people's goals are expressed and responded to in supportive and encouraging ways. The perception of chemistry includes cognitive (i.e., perception of shared identity), affective (i.e., positive affect and attraction), and behavioral (i.e., perceived goal-relevant coordination) components. We review existing research on chemistry as well as supporting evidence from relevant topics (e.g., attraction, similarity, perceived partner responsiveness, synchrony) that inform and support this model. We hope that this conceptual model stimulates research to identify the circumstances in which chemistry arises and the processes by which it affects individuals, their interactions, and their relationships.
            Cover page: Interpersonal Chemistry: What Is It, How Does It Emerge, and How Does It Operate?
            • Article
            • Peer Reviewed
            UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2023)
            Numerous investigations to date have established the benefits of expressing gratitude for improved psychological well-being and interpersonal relationships. Nevertheless, the social dynamics of gratitude remain understudied. Do the effects of gratitude differ when it is expressed privately, communicated directly to the benefactor one-to-one, or shared publicly? We tested this question in a preregistered intervention study. An ethnically and economically diverse sample of undergraduate students (N = 916) was randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: (1) write gratitude letters and do not share them (private gratitude), (2) share gratitude one-to-one with benefactors via text (1-to-1 gratitude), (3) share gratitude publicly on social media (public gratitude), or (4) track daily activities (control). Participants were asked to complete their assigned activity four times with different people (as applicable) over the course of about a week. Overall, participants assigned to any digital gratitude intervention experienced improvements in state gratitude, positive emotions, negative emotions, elevation, connectedness, support, and loneliness, relative to controls. Relative to all other conditions, participants assigned to text their benefactors showed the biggest boosts in social connectedness and support. Our findings show that easily scalable digital gratitude interventions can advance the well-being of young college students.

            Supplementary information

            The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-022-00150-5.
              Cover page: What is the Optimal Way to Give Thanks? Comparing the Effects of Gratitude Expressed Privately, One-to-One via Text, or Publicly on Social Media
              • Article
              • Peer Reviewed
              UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2022)

              Objective

              Prosocial behavior has been linked to improved physical health, but the biological mechanisms involved remain unclear. This study tested whether a 4-week kindness intervention could reduce expression of a stress-related immune response gene signature known as the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity (CTRA).

              Methods

              In a diverse sample of community adults (N = 182), study participants were randomly assigned to perform 3 kind acts for other people, to perform 3 kind acts for themselves, or to list daily activities (control), on one day per week over 4 weeks. CTRA gene expression was measured by RNA sequencing of dried blood spots (DBS) collected at baseline and 5 weeks later (1 week after completing study assignments). Participants' descriptions of their kind acts were coded for protocol adherence and act content.

              Results

              Participants who were randomized to perform kind acts for others showed significant reductions in CTRA gene expression relative to controls. Participants who were randomized to perform kind acts for themselves also showed significant reductions in CTRA gene expression relative to controls, but this pattern emerged only for those who failed to perform the requested self-kind acts (protocol non-adherent). Those who fully adhered to the self-kindness protocol showed no change in CTRA gene expression and did not differ from controls. Act content analyses implicated self-stress-reducing behavior in the paradoxical effects of self-kindness and the physical presence of others in the effects of prosocial behavior.

              Conclusions

              Prosocial engagement-doing something kind for others rather than oneself-reduces CTRA gene expression. The nature of kind acts and their intended recipient plays a key role in shaping the genomic impact of kindness.
                Cover page: The genomic impact of kindness to self vs. others: A randomized controlled trial
                • Article
                • Peer Reviewed
                UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2021)
                3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a psychostimulant known for producing positive subjective effects and for enhancing social functioning and social connection in both clinical and recreational settings. Over the past two decades, scientists have begun to study the psychological effects of MDMA through rigorous placebo-controlled experimental work. However, most existing studies have small Ns, and the average sizes of the reported effects are unknown, creating uncertainty about the impact of these findings. The goal of the present study was to quantify the strength of MDMA's effects on self-reported social connection by aggregating sociability-related outcomes across multiple placebo-controlled studies. To this end, we conducted a multilevel meta-analysis based on 27 studies, 54 effect sizes, and a total of 592 participants. The results revealed a moderate-to-large effect (d = 0.86; 95% CI [0.68, 1.04]; r = .39; 95% CI [.32, .46]) of MDMA on self-reported sociability-related outcomes (e.g., feeling loving, talkative, and friendly). Given the magnitude of its effect on felt sociability, we propose that MDMA may have powerful implications for a variety of social contexts and for clinical settings, in particular. Finally, we discuss potential mechanisms underlying the relationship between MDMA and sociability-related feelings, as well as future directions for experimental work in this area.
                  Cover page: Does ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) induce subjective feelings of social connection in humans? A multilevel meta-analysis
                  • Article
                  • Peer Reviewed
                  UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2023)
                  Previous research has identified a robust connection between prosociality and happiness, suggesting that kindness has both hedonic and eudaimonic benefits-in the short term and in the long term. By contrast, our experiment aimed to examine people's momentary eudaimonic feelings while engaging in kind acts for others. To that end, we randomly assigned participants to one of four positively valenced conditions that varied in their inclusion of potential "active ingredients" of prosocial behavior. Namely, engaging in kind acts for others was compared to engaging in kind acts for oneself (social element removed), extraverted behavior (kindness element removed), and open-minded behavior (both social and kindness elements removed). Participants were assessed five times over 2 weeks, each time reporting on how they felt during their assigned activities. Multilevel models revealed that relative to all other conditions, participants assigned to do kind acts for others reported a greater sense of competence, self-confidence, and meaning while engaging in those acts across the intervention period. Engaging in acts of kindness for others also led to stronger feelings of connection relative to engaging in open-minded behavior or acts of kindness for oneself but did not differ from engaging in extraverted behavior. These results illuminate the experience of positive eudaimonic feelings while one commits kind acts for others and highlight the unique benefits of prosociality compared to other positive behaviors.

                  Supplementary information

                  The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-022-00143-4.
                    Cover page: What is Unique About Kindness? Exploring the Proximal Experience of Prosocial Acts Relative to Other Positive Behaviors.
                    • Article
                    • Peer Reviewed
                    UCLA Previously Published Works (2024)
                    Both scientists and laypeople have become increasingly concerned about smartphones, especially their associated digital media (e.g., email, news, gaming, and dating apps) and social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat). Recent correlational research links substantial declines in Gen Z well-being to digital and social media use, yet other work suggests the effects are small and unnoteworthy. To help further disentangle correlation from causation, we conducted a preregistered 8-day experimental deprivation study with Gen Z individuals (N = 338). Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (1) restrict digital media (i.e., smartphone) use, (2) restrict social media use, (3) restrict water use (active control), or (4) restrict nothing (measurement-only control). Relative to controls, participants restricting digital media reported a variety of benefits, including higher life satisfaction, mindfulness, autonomy, competence, and self-esteem, and reduced loneliness and stress. In contrast, those assigned to restrict social media reported relatively few benefits (increased mindfulness) and even some potential costs (increased negative emotion).
                      Cover page: Does putting down your smartphone make you happier? the effects of restricting digital media on well-being
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