My Friends Are My Estate: Friendship Experiences Mediate the Relationship Between Perceived Responses to Capitalization Attempts and Happiness

Abstract

Emerging adults share the positive events in their lives with their friends, a process that is related to higher levels of happiness when they perceive their friends' responses as more positive and less negative. What might explain this association? The four studies (N = 2997) in this research tested the proposal that positive friendship experiences mediate the relationship between perceived responses to capitalization attempts (PRCA) and happiness. Study 1 showed that same-sex friendship quality mediated the relationship between PRCA and happiness. Study 2 supported the model for cross-sex friendships. Study 3 tested the generalizability of the model for the immediate social network of emerging adults and showed that the model was only applicable to best friendships. Study 4 documented that satisfaction of basic psychological needs in a samesex friendship was another mediator of the PRCA-happiness link. Although the friendship experiences and PRCA scores of women were higher compared to men in every study, the associations of PRCA with friendship experiences and happiness were generally similar and the model was supported for both men and women. The implications of the findings were discussed and suggestions for future research were provided.

A prototype matching model of satisfaction in same‐sex friendships

“…The mean rating on our measure of friendship satisfaction, the Relationship Assessment Scale, was M = 6.10 ( SD = 0.81) on the 7‐point scale. There is evidence in the friendship literature that women rate their same‐sex friendships as more satisfying than do men (see, e.g., Demir, Haynes, & Potts, ; Demir & Orthel, ; Fehr, ) . This was also the case in this study: for women, M = 6.29 ( SD = 0.63); for men, M = 5.82 ( SD = 0.96); F (1, 105) = 9.30, p = .003, η p 2 = 0.08.…”

Making the good even better: A review and theoretical model of interpersonal capitalization

“…In related research that provides a more direct test of the underlying mechanisms for path A', Demir and colleagues found that perceiving friends to respond enthusiastically and responsively to good news increased happiness, an association that was mediated by friendship quality (Demir, ) and satisfaction of basic psychological needs (Demir, Haynes, & Potts, ). In other words, capitalization fosters relationship quality, which in turn contributes to individual emotional well‐being.…”

Be Your Best You: A Pilot Study of a Positive Psychology Programme for People with Depression, Anxiety or Stress in Greece

“…The aim of the literature review was to identify PPIs that have been empirically validated and were used with people with symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress. The most commonly used and empirically validated interventions were the 1) three good things (Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005), 2) using your strengths in a new way (Seligman et al, 2005;Wood, Linley, Maltby, Kashda, & Hurling, 2011), 3) goal setting (MacLeod, Coates, & Hetherton, 2008;Sheldon, Kasser, Smith, & Share, 2002), 4) savoring techniques (Smith, Harrison, Kurtz, & Bryant, 2014), 5) positive relationships (Coan, Schaefer, & Davidson, 2006; Reyes-García, Godoy, Vadez, Ruiz-Mallen, Huanca, Leonard et al, 2009), 6) best possible self (King, 2001;Layous, Nelson, & Lyubomisky, 2013), 7) capitalising positive news (Gable & Reis, 2010;Demir, Haynes, & Potts, 2017;Demir, Tyra, & Özen-Çıplak, 2018), and 8) random acts of kindness (Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade, 2005;Otake et al, 2006) (See Table 1).…”