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Do you have a minute? The cognitive and emotional consequences of self-disclosures at work
Elizabeth N Trinh1, Kathryn E Schertz2, Ethan Kross1
1Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
Abstract:
People spend significant time at work talking with coworkers. Yet surprisingly little is known about how these conversations impact their emotional lives. We addressed this issue across two experience sampling studies performed in 2021 and 2023 with working adults in the United States (N = 358; 26,234 observations). Time-lagged models showed that sharing positive information and sharing information to connect predicted improved emotional well-being, work energy, and connection over time, while sharing negative information and sharing information to vent predicted reductions in emotional well-being and increases in rumination. Additionally, mismatches between sharing motivations and perceived responses from listeners occurred frequently (49.2% of the time) and predicted adverse outcomes. These findings highlight the need for future research to examine whether strategically sharing personal information at work optimizes well-being and productivity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
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