Social Interactions and Well-Being: The Surprising Power of Weak Ties
Sandstrom & Dunn (2014) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(7)
Relied on in 1 place across the academy · 1 stated limit
What it found
Across two studies, people reported better days on days when they interacted more with weak ties — acquaintances rather than close friends — and the pattern held within individuals as well as between them.
What it does not show
Correlational. It establishes an association, not that adding a chat improves your day.
Where we rely on it
1 place in the academy. If this paper turned out to be wrong, this is the list that would have to change. Some of the instructions below are part of Gold; none of the findings are.
In the curriculum · 1
Cited alongside it
Papers that sit under the same topics and films. Not a claim that they agree with each other — only that the same exercises lean on both.
The Liking Gap in Conversations: Do People Like Us More Than We Think?
Boothby, Cooney, Sandstrom & Clark (2018)Mistakenly Seeking Solitude
Epley & Schroeder (2014)It Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Question-Asking Increases Liking
Huang, Yeomans, Brooks, Minson & Gino (2017)Overly Shallow?: Miscalibrated Expectations Create a Barrier to Deeper Conversation
Kardas, Kumar & Epley (2022)Eavesdropping on Happiness: Well-Being Is Related to Having Less Small Talk and More Substantive Conversations
Mehl, Vazire, Holleran & Clark (2010)Research
A real study. We tell you what it found, how many people were in it, and what it can't prove.
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