In his book Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John Steinbeck wrote, “The delicate shades of feeling, of reaction, are the result of communication.” [19]
Social comparison theory recognizes that comparing and contrasting yourself with your peers is part of identity formation. [20] In addition, mirroring others’ emotions relates to empathy and interpersonal competence [21] and the involvement of the mirror neuron system, which communicates neurocognitive functions, including: social cognition, language, empathy, theory of mind.
Mitch Prinstein, the chief science officer at the American Psychological Association (APA), told the Senate Judiciary Committee, [22] positive social interactions and relationship-building is characterized by support, emotional intimacy, disclosure, positive regard, reliable alliance and trust. [23]
Similar to comments in other applications, Sparks are short, personal messages to validate and recognize someone's experience. Anyone in the OKAY FINE community can write Sparks to support a feeling or help change an emotion.
Prompted empathy Sparks and text examples connected to specific emotions will also be provided to help guide individuals through the process. OKAY FINE will also develop a network to empower community leaders who provide Sparks with cultural context.
In recent years, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and various studies advocate for community-based care. [24] Community-based care is a task-shifting model where lightly trained laypeople learn about depression and anxiety, how to recognize the symptoms, and when to treat those disorders with brief mental health interventions.
Emotional expressions coordinate social interactions; they are a grammar of social living. [25] Phil Stutz talks about the relationship between our emotions and the community: “You can't move forward without being vulnerable. Vulnerability connects you to the rest of the world. You're giving out this signal to the world… I need you because I can't do this by myself.” [16]
If you don't have an indexed feeling and you want to add a Spark, it asks you to share your feeling before sparking an emotion. Even after you archive your feeling, Sparks stay active in your archive, and you can click on a person to Spark their emotion at any time.
