TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Causal effects of language on the exchange of social support in an online community
JO  - Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking
A1  - Biehl, Sarah A.
A1  - Kahn, Jeffrey H.
SP  - 446
EP  - 452
VL  - 19
IS  - 7
N2  - 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 2152-2715
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0110
ID  - ref1
ER  -