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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
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Article

The Simple Life: On the Benefits of Low Self-Complexity

Allen R. McConnell1*, Laura M. Strain1, Christina M. Brown1, and Robert J. Rydell2

1 Miami University
2 Indiana University

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mcconnar{at}muohio.edu.


  Abstract
This article examines the spillover amplification hypothesis, which proposes that because people lower in self-complexity experience stronger responses to life events they will show relatively better well-being in the presence of positive factors (e.g., better social support) and relatively poorer well-being in the presence of negative factors (e.g., a history of negative experiences). Across three studies, support for spillover amplification was found. Specifically, people lower in self-complexity revealed greater self-esteem, less depression, and fewer illnesses when they had greater social support (Study 1) and more desirable personality characteristics (Study 2), yet they had poorer well-being if they had a history of many negative life events (Study 3). Thus, how one’s self-concept is represented in memory moderates the relationship between many well-established factors and well-being.

First published on April 29, 2009, doi:10.1177/0146167209334785

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2009;35:823.

A more recent version of this article appeared on July 1, 2009

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