Swipe For Support: The Role of Affordances on Supportive Communication

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Supportive communication, or the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages to assist someone in need, is a process that starts with seeking and follows, sequentially, by the provision and reception of supportive messages (MacGeorge, Feng, & Burleson, 2011). When enacted effectively, supportive communication produces many benefits, including cognitive reappraisal (Rains, Pavlich, Tsetsi, & Akers, 2019), aff ect improvement (Davis & High, 2019; Oeldorf-Hirsch, High, & Christensen, 2019), facilitation of coping (MacGeorge et al., 2017), improved relationships (Schrodt, Miller, & Braithwaite, 2011), and healthy behaviors (e.g., Nelson et al., 2015). Priem and Solomon (2018), specifically, found faster recovery from stress and greater emotional improvement after more supportive interactions. High and Solomon (2016) found that the benefits of effective support persist weeks later. Poorly-enacted support can be costly, however. Unhelpful advice on relational transgressions, for instance, corresponds to anger and stress (e.g., Pederson & McLaren, 2017). Harris and colleagues (2008) also found that unsolicited tangible support led to parent–child conflict and hindered familial adjustment to a child’s illness. In sum, supportive communication can have many positive outcomes for receivers when successfully enacted, but under the wrong circumstances, it can be harmful.