%0 Journal Article
%T Visible and Invisible Social Support: How, Why, and When
%A Katherine S. Zee
%A Niall Bolger
%J Current Directions in Psychological Science
%@ 1467-8721
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0963721419835214
%X Social relationships can be a vital source of help in difficult times. However, attempts to provide social support that is visible¡ªdirect and recognized by recipients as help¡ªcan sometimes have unintended negative effects. By contrast, invisible support¡ªprovided indirectly such that recipients do not interpret the behavior as help¡ªcan circumvent potential negative effects. In this article, we synthesize empirical evidence on support visibility using three organizing questions: How do support attempts differ in visibility? Why is invisible support often more beneficial than visible support? When is invisible support, as opposed to visible support, needed? The answers to these questions can illuminate mechanisms of effective support generally, help explain known variability in support outcomes, and stimulate further research
%K support visibility
%K invisible support
%K social support
%K close relationships
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0963721419835214