@article{ref1,
title="Causal effects of language on the exchange of social support in an online community",
journal="Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking",
year="2016",
author="Biehl, Sarah A. and Kahn, Jeffrey H.",
volume="19",
number="7",
pages="446-452",
abstract="The provision of social support is a common function of many online communities, but a full understanding of the causal effect of emotion language on the provision of support requires experimental study. The frequency of positive- and negative-emotion words in simulated posts requesting emotional support was manipulated and presented to a sample of college students (N = 442) who were randomly assigned to read one of four simulated posts. Participants completed measures of the original poster's (OP's) distress, and they provided a response to the simulated post. These responses were subjected to a computerized text analysis, and their overall effectiveness was rated by two independent judges. Fewer positive-emotion and more negative-emotion words in the simulated post led to perceptions that the OP was distressed and unable to cope. Participant-generated responses to the post were highest in positive-emotion words when the simulated post was high in positive-emotion words, but low in negative-emotion words. Finally, simulated posts that were low in positive-emotion words received responses that were judged to be more effective than did simulated posts that were high in positive-emotion words. These findings have implications for understanding the role of emotion language on the exchange of online social support.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2152-2715",
doi="10.1089/cyber.2016.0110",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0110"
}