Circling Science

Beyond the myth of venting: Social sharing modes determine the benefits of emotional disclosure

Frédéric Nils and Bernard Rimé · 2012

Evidence
Experiment
Kind
Journal article
peer-reviewed
Method
Four listening conditions after an upsetting film, with reassessment following another viewing two days later
Sample
89 speakers paired with 89 student listeners; 81 speakers completed the later assessment
Published
European Journal of Social Psychology, 42(6), 672–681

Adjacent

Studies a related practice or mechanism, without testing Circling.

An experiment found that supportive listening increased immediate closeness, while helping speakers rethink an upsetting film reduced their reaction to it two days later.

What it doesn’t show

Each of the four conditions contained fewer than 30 speakers, and outcomes came from their questionnaires. The stressor was a film discussed with someone already close to the speaker; a two-day result does not establish recovery from personal trauma or a lasting therapeutic effect.

Summary based on the abstract and the full text’s methods, results and discussion.

Directions that build on it

  1. Active ingredients

    Builds on 10 works · 3 funding routes

    Which parts of the practice do the work: present-moment attention, disclosure, or hearing how you affect others?

Links

Cite

Nils, F., & Rimé, B. (2012). Beyond the myth of venting: Social sharing modes determine the benefits of emotional disclosure. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42(6), 672–681. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.1880