Listen to this: Why consumer behavior researchers should care about listening

Abstract Listening and perceived responsiveness evoke a sense of interpersonal connection that benefits individuals and groups and is relevant to almost every field in Psychology, Management, Education, Communication, and Health, to name a few. In this paper, we, researchers who have devoted their careers to studying listening (first author) and perceived responsiveness (second author), address the necessity of integrating the two constructs. Moreover, we offer several questions for future research that we believe are crucial to produce a more profound and comprehensive understanding of this important process. These research questions include empirical issues, cross-cultural and inter-racial interactions, age differences, the emergence of new technologies, and opportunities to bridge political, ethnic, and social divides. By highlighting the undeniable impact of listening and perceived responsiveness on interpersonal connection across diverse domains, we emphasize the need to integrate these constructs in future research. Our proposed set of eight pivotal research questions is intended as a starting point for gaining a deeper and more holistic understanding of this critical study area while building a strong empirical foundation for interventions. By addressing these questions, we can foster meaningful advances that have the potential to bridge gaps, improve relationships, and enhance the well-being of individuals and communities alike.

Listening is understood to be a foundational element in practices that rely on effective conversations, but there is a gap in our understanding of what the effects of highquality listening are on both the speaker and listener. This registered report addressed this gap by training one group of participants to listen well as speakers discuss their character strengths, allowing us to isolate the role relational listening plays in strengths-based conversations. Participants were paired and randomly assigned to a highquality listening (experimental) or moderate-quality listening (comparison) condition manipulated through a validated video-based training. High-quality listening predicted a more constructive relational experience; specifically, positivity resonance. Intrapersonal experiences (perceived authenticity and state anxiety) were not affected. Those who engaged in high-quality listening expressed a behavioural intention to continue listening, but condition did not predict a behavioural intention for speakers to continue applying character strengths. This is the first evidence of positivity resonance as a shared outcome between both a speaker and listener when the listener conveys high-quality (as opposed to ‘everyday’) listening. These early findings merit further study with stronger listening manipulations to explore the potential role of listening within interpersonal communication, and inform the applied psychological sciences (counselling, psychotherapy, coaching, organizational, education).