Psychological Development and Education ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (1): 39-49.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2026.01.05

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Interpersonal Relationship Satisfaction in the Digital Age: The Role of Online Positive Feedback and Perceived Social Support

DING Yue1, LIU Lijia2, KOU Yu1   

  1. 1. Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875;
    2. Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875
  • Published:2026-01-19

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Abstract: Using social networking sites to build and maintain interpersonal relationships has become an integral part of everyday life. Social networking sites can facilitate high-quality interactions by providing positive feedback in the form of likes and comments. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between online positive feedback and interpersonal relationship satisfaction, as well as the mediating role of perceived social support. Two studies were conducted among Chinese college students. In Study 1 (N = 165), a retrospective research method was used to measure online positive feedback, perceived social support, and interpersonal relationship satisfaction, which were based on past experience. In Study 2 (N = 69, n = 424), an experience sampling method was used to collect the subjective perception and the objective number of received positive feedback after posting status updates, and assess perceived social support and interpersonal relationship satisfaction subsequent to receiving feedback. The results showed that the correlations between online positive feedback, perceived social support, and interpersonal relationship satisfaction were significant. Perceived social support mediated the associations between positive feedback and both online and offline interpersonal relationship satisfaction. These findings indicated that online positive feedback can promote interpersonal relationship satisfaction in a simple, yet highly effective manner, which provided practical implications for improving interpersonal relationships in the digital age.

Key words: online positive feedback, perceived social support, interpersonal relationship satisfaction, experience sampling method, college students

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