Journal
JOURNAL OF COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 56, Issue 2, Pages 289-300Publisher
AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
DOI: 10.1037/a0015416
Keywords
depression; social activity; need to belong; well-being; daily life events
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Funding
- NIMH NIH HHS [R21 MH073937, R21 MH073937-01A2] Funding Source: Medline
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Dysfunctional social behavior has been implicated in the experience of depression. People with higher levels of depressive symptoms report more frequent negative social interactions and react more strongly to them. It remains unknown, however, whether reaction strength differs depending on whether social interactions are positive or negative. Drawing on socioevolutionary models of depression (N. B. Allen & P. B. T. Badcock, 2003), the authors propose that people with higher levels of depressive symptoms should react more strongly not only to negative social interactions but also to positive social interactions and a sense of belonging. Using nonclinical samples, 2 daily process studies examined the role of depression in people's reactivity to social interactions in natural, ongoing, social contexts. In Study 1, the number of positive and negative social events showed a stronger relation to well-being among people with higher levels of depressive symptoms. Study 2 extended this finding to perceptions of belonging in memorable social interactions, finding a stronger link between belonging and well-being among people with higher levels of depressive symptoms. Together these studies provide the first indication that depressive symptoms may sensitize people to everyday experiences of both social rejection and social acceptance.
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