Does sharing memories make us feel closer? The roles of memory type and culture

Abstract

The present study investigated in a cross-cultural context whether sharing different types of memories would differentially influence perceived relationship closeness and how that, in turn, was related to psychological well-being. Participants (N = 410) from European American and Asian cultural backgrounds reported their feelings of closeness to a conversational partner in hypothetical scenarios following five types of information sharing: specific and general autobiographical memories, specific and general vicarious memories, and non-personal information. Asians felt closer to the conversational partner than did European Americans following all types of information sharing, consistent with the greater interdependent value orientation among Asians. While sharing autobiographical memories led to greater closeness than sharing vicarious memories for both groups, sharing specific autobiographical memories appeared most effective to develop relationship closeness for European Americans. Perceived relationship closeness following memory-sharing was positively associated with psychological well-being across cultures.

The triangular self in the social media era

“…General memory research has shown that people share memories for various purposes: to convey information about who they arethe self function, to entertain others and develop and maintain relationshipsthe social function, to seek empathy and support for emotion regulation and copingthe therapeutic function, and to impart lessons to help othersthe directive function (e.g., Alea and Bluck 2003;Kulkofsky et al 2010;Pillemer 2001). In particular, social connection is the most prominent purpose of fact-to-face memory sharing (Alea and Bluck 2003;Guan and Wang 2020;Kulkofsky et al 2010). In the context of social media, people share memories for similar reasons (Hollenbaugh 2011;Wang 2013).…”

Remembering the romantic past: Autobiographical memory functions and romantic relationship quality

“…It has been established that memory sharing is one of the primary functions of autobiographical memory [40]. Sharing autobiographical memories has been shown to lead to relationship closeness across cultural settings [41]. It is, therefore, a critical omission in the memory function literature that the role of different interlocutors is rarely considered.…”

Untangling Social Reminiscing and Emotional Support

“…As alluded to, autobiographical memory researchers theorise that reminiscing is a tool to maintain relationships (Alea & Bluck, 2003). A study by Guan and Wang (2022) provides empirical evidence for this theory. They asked participants to report how close they felt to an imagined conversation partner after reading either some of their autobiographical memories, vicarious memories (i.e., a third party's personal memories), or impersonal information.…”

“…Similarly, when parents elaboratively reminisce (reminiscing that encourages the child's recall) with their children, it encourages secure attachment (Chae et al, 2011;Fivush, 2007). Adults in close relationships also discuss memories in ways that craft a shared sense of reality, promoting closeness (Guan & Wang, 2022;Hardin & Higgins, 1996;McLean & Pasupathi, 2011;Rossignac-Milon & Higgins, 2018). Correlational evidence suggests that closeness and social support are strongly positively related (Campos et al, 2014;Crocker & Canevello, 2008;Priel et al, 1998).…”

“…People tend to seek and offer more emotional support in closer relationships relative to more distant relationships (Campos et al, 2014;Crocker & Canevello, 2008;Priel et al, 1998). Likewise, theory and research suggests a positive association between closeness and reminiscing (Alea & Bluck, 2003Guan & Wang, 2022). But, to our knowledge, no past researchers have compared the strength of the association between closeness and reminiscing, and the association between closeness and emotional support.…”