We are so proud of Ally Heiland for receiving an Honorable Mention for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program! Way to go!
Ally’s research summary:
This research aims to explore the concept of interpersonal negativity bias, which suggests that individuals are more likely to respond to negative emotions and events shared by others than positive ones, potentially leading to long-term increases in psychological distress for both the sharer and the responder. Experiments will test if differential reinforcement of negative versus positive experiences influences future sharing behaviors, and if consistently attending to negative experiences leads to heightened distress and lower well-being compared to focusing on positive experiences or engaging in self-care. The research will also examine the role of social connection, self-esteem, and social network dynamics as potential mechanisms underlying these effects.