Hesitation to Share Bad News Between Friends and Strangers: Self-Presentation and Emotion-Centered Reasons for the MUM Effect

Abstract

The MUM effect refers to the robust research finding that people are reluctant to share bad news. Reasons for the MUM effect include self-presentation concerns and a sensitivity to the receiver's emotionality. An experiment tested these reasons in the context of interactions between friends and strangers. Undergraduate females (N = 330, 165 dyads) were paired with either a close friend or stranger, and one member of each dyad gave either good or bad news to her partner. Results replicated the MUM effect. Across both levels of closeness good news was shared more rapidly than was bad news. No main effect for closeness was found, nor was any interaction between closeness and news valence. These data were more consistent with a self-presentation explanation. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Conference Papers -- International Communication Association is the property of International Communication Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)