The Social Connection & Positive Psychology Lab at ASU studies how social behaviors, including gratitude and kindness in close relationships, can influence mental health and familial interactions.
Katherine Nelson-Coffey, a professor of psychology in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the lab’s director, said happiness often depends on the relationships people have.
Nelson-Coffey said social interactions help people build and maintain relationships by encouraging both giving and receiving support from others. These everyday behaviors strengthen connection and reinforce wellness over time.
“Human beings are very social creatures,” Nelson-Coffey said. “We rely on other people all the time for our physical well-being, our psychological well-being, for all sorts of aspects of our lives.”
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She said in her 2024 paper “Gratitude improves parents’ well-being and family functioning,” she found that on days parents reported feeling more grateful, they also reported increased levels of well-being and satisfaction. The parents also said they felt closer to their child on those days.
Nelson-Coffey said the findings emphasize that a parent’s happiness plays an important role in family systems.
“I hope that my work will demonstrate the importance of parents’ well-being, not only for themselves, but also for the relationships they have within their families,” Nelson-Coffey said. “Being happy and being psychologically well allows parents to bring their best self to their interactions with their children.”
The lab is now focused on a longitudinal study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. It follows new parents and documents their experiences and how their wellness changes from the prenatal to the postpartum stages.
Nelson-Coffey said the study aims to investigate how different joys and struggles can coexist in parent and parent-child relationships.
Students play a major role in the lab: conducting research, assisting in participant outreach, data collection and analysis. Nelson-Coffey said students are involved at every step of the process, gaining skills that support careers in research and related fields.
Lilli Kish, a senior studying psychology, said the lab work led to a deeper understanding of how relationships can affect both mental and physical health. Kish added the research shows that strong social connections improve life satisfaction and mortality rates.
“It’s not a matter of how many people you have to support you, it’s more so a matter of the quality of your relationships,” Kish said. “When we are feeling overwhelmed or anxious, we really focus on what’s wrong and it can be really hard to engage in our relationships or do these small acts which will help us, but they really are truly impactful.”
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Kish said the study’s research can help identify how parental relationships during pregnancy and early parenthood shape the long-term well-being of both parents and children, adding that the findings may guide future education and support for families.
Iunia Sora, a senior studying psychology and a new member of the lab, said she currently works to coordinate and collect data from study participants. Sora added that joining gave her the opportunity to contribute to research exploring parenting and family relationships.
“It’s been a really rewarding process. I really enjoy seeing the responses from the participants,” Sora said. “It’s just a pleasant experience. I also love working with the graduate students and other undergraduate students like me.”
Sora said societal shifts, especially post COVID-19, have brought about a “new era” in family systems, and it is important that the lab records relational experiences to note broader shifts and compare them with past findings.
Nelson-Coffey said the lab will continue conducting studies and using its findings to develop ways to better support families and improve familial well-being.
“I’m hoping (our research) will then inform future intervention and strategies that we can use to support parents from the minute we know they’re going to become a parent,” Nelson-Coffey said.
Edited by Kate Gore, Senna James and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at ngmohta@asu.edu.
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Nikhil Mohta is a sophomore studying B.S. in Finance and is currently a Business Community Leader for the W.P. Carey School of business. He is also an active member in various clubs on campus like PIERA.
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