Colloquium, Psychology, UWaterloo

[Yvonne Weppler]

Colloquium Presentation

Department of Psychology
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
 
March 12, 2004

PAS 1229

 2 :00 pm


Dr. Shelly L. Gable
UCLA
 Department of Psychology


Title:  Will you be there for me when things go right?  
The intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences of sharing positive events

 

Shelly Gable received her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 2000 and is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at UCLA.  She studies motivation and emotion in close relationships and is particularly interested in differentiating appetitive and aversive processes in social relationships.  Her work is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, and the Positive Psychology Network.  She is currently on the editorial boards of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 

Abstract:
Dr. Gable will present a series of studies examining the intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences of seeking out others when good things happen (i.e., capitalization).  The research indicates that sharing a personal positive event with others is associated with increases in well-being, above and beyond the impact of the positive event itself.  Moreover, when others react actively and constructively (and not passively or destructively) to capitalization attempts, the benefits are further enhanced.  The work also shows that close relationship partners responses to capitalization attempts that are active and constructive are associated higher relationship well-being (e.g. intimacy, daily marital satisfaction).  Further examinations of interactions between couples responsiveness during the positive event discussion was a better predictor of relationship quality than responsiveness during a negative event discussion, both concurrently and prospectively.  And, on a daily basis responses to capitalization attempts were better predictors of well-being than social support.  All of the results were consistent with the view that positive event disclosures are important occasions for building personal and interpersonal resources.  Dr. Gable will discuss the findings in terms of the theoretical and empirical importance of understanding how we cope with positive events, cultivate positive emotions, and enhance social bonds.