Saying the Wrong Thing or Saying Nothing at All: Comparing Outcomes of Nonsupport Versus Low Person-Centered Emotional Support Messages

This study used expectancy violations theory as a framework to test whether nonsupport (i.e. not receiving support that was expected) is worse than receiving a low person-centered emotional support message. Participants were 886 U.S. adults who were census-matched based on age, sex, and ethnicity who participated in a survey experiment. Results showed that when providing emotional support to someone who suffered an injury, nonsupport generated less emotional improvement and more negative relational ramifications than a low person-centered emotional support message. However, when providing support to someone who has become unemployed, low person-centered messages created more negative relational ramifications than nonsupport. Results suggest that saying nothing at all is not always worse than communicating low person-centered messages, and this may depend on the nature of the stressor.