Better Liked but Not More Supported: Optimism and Social Support from a Provider's Perspective

Abstract

Optimists commonly report a higher availability of supportive others and more received social support than pessimists. However, these results are silent on the question of whether this effect is due to an overly optimistic view on their social environment or whether the social environment actually provides optimists with more support than pessimists. Accordingly, the present study tested in an experimental design whether potential support providers react differently toward optimists, pessimists, and realists. Participants viewed videotaped interactions displaying either an optimistic, pessimistic, or realistic target person. Results show that the personality, the behavior, and the interpersonal attraction of optimists and realists were evaluated more positively than that of pessimists. Nonetheless, participants were equally or even less willing to provide social support to optimists compared to pessimists and realists. Thus, the greater amount of received support reported by optimists possibly represents an optimistically biased perception rather than a veridical reflection of the support they are provided with.

Can Expressing Positivity Elicit Support for Negative Events? A Process Model and Review

“…As such, work examining the effects of seekers’ positive expressivity on others’ perceptions of the expresser’s competence provides suggestive evidence for Path E. Given that research on resilience suggests that people can use positive emotions to recover from and find meaning in stressful events (e.g., Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004), it seems likely that seekers’ expressions of positivity may bolster providers’ beliefs about their efficacy. Indeed, when disclosers express positivity in negative contexts such as by voicing outlooks that contain some (vs. no) positivity (Vollmann & Renner, 2010; Vollmann et al, 2007) or by displaying more (vs. less) intense smiles (e.g., Harker & Keltner, 2001), observers believe that disclosers are engaging in more effective coping efforts. Relatedly, seekers who express positive thoughts or feelings despite their distress may seem more helpable: Seekers who do so should seem more open to seeing the distress-related issue in a different way, and more invested and perhaps effective in trying to cope with it.…”

“…In another investigation (Vollmann & Renner, 2010), participants watched a video of a woman talking with her roommate about a moderately stressful experience: After applying to her dream job, she learned that her application was not accepted. In a fully crossed design, the researchers manipulated the woman’s outlook on the situation (optimistic vs. realistic vs. pessimistic) and the controllability of the situation (controllable vs. uncontrollable).…”

“…Using a method similar to that used in Vollmann and Renner’s (2010) experiment testing the effects of expressed outlook on support intentions (for a description, see p. 39), Vollmann et al (2007) conducted two studies in which they manipulated a person’s expressed outlook (optimistic vs. realistic vs. pessimistic) and the person’s control over their situation (controllable vs. uncontrollable) in a fully crossed design. In contrast to Vollmann and Renner’s (2010) finding that in the controllable condition, the optimistic (vs. realistic or pessimistic) outlook condition decreased support intentions, Vollmann et al (2007) found that support intentions did not vary across outlook condition in either of their two experiments.…”

“…People characterized as typically having both positive and negative affective experiences are also rated more favorably than people characterized as typically having solely negative affective experiences (Sommers, 1984, Study 4). Past work also demonstrates that expressing gratitude for (Grant & Gino, 2010;Williams & Bartlett, 2015) and positive attitudes about (Shnabel & Nadler, 2008) a new interaction partner; optimistic thoughts about negative events (Silver et al, 1990;Vollmann & Renner, 2010;Vollmann et al, 2007); humor (McGee & Shevlin, 2009); and happiness through facial displays (Burgoon et al, 1984;Knutson, 1996) increase the partner's attraction to and desire to connect with those individuals expressing positivity.…”

“…Experimental evidence. Findings from two experiments (Telle & Pfister, 2012, Study 1;Vollmann & Renner, 2010) suggest positive expressivity can sometimes decrease support. Telle and Pfister's (2012) two-study paper provides evidence of both support-eliciting and support-suppressing effects.…”