Andy Merolla
Andy Merolla studies the link between interpersonal communication and well-being. His current research analyzes the interrelationships between communication, emotion, and cognition in everyday interaction.
Research Area(s)
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication
Andy’s research examines various communicative and emotional processes, such as social connection, conflict management, interpersonal forgiveness, and relational maintenance. Using approaches such as experience sampling, his current research analyzes how patterns of everyday social interaction are associated with feelings of connection and disconnection to others. Some of his recent research also explores the role of communication in constructing hope and the important role that hope plays in managing difficult life situations. Andy’s research can be found in journals such as Communication Monographs, Communication Research, Communication Theory, Human Communication Research, and the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Andy's book, which he co-authored with Jeffrey A. Hall, titled The Social Biome: How Everyday Communication Connects and Shapes Us, will be published by Yale University Press in early 2025. At UCSB, Andy teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in communication theory, conflict management, interpersonal communication, and nonverbal communication. In 2021, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the UCSB Academic Senate.
Dr. Merolla is currently a professor with Department of Communications and a committee member in the Health Justice & Community initiative.
Select Recent Publications
Merolla, A. J., Otmar, C. D., & Salehuddin, A. S. (in press). Past relational experiences and social interaction: Direct, moderated, and mediated associations between relational difficulty, communication, and perception in two samples. Communication Research.
Otmar, C. D., & Merolla, A. J. (in press). Early relational exclusion and present-day minority stress, social anxiety, and coping responses among sexual minority men. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
Merolla, A. J., Neubauer, A. B., & Otmar, C. D. (2024). Responsiveness, social connection, hope, and life satisfaction in everyday social interaction: An experience sampling study. Journal of Happiness Studies, 25(7).
Murillo, R. M., Kam, J. A., & Merolla, A. J. (2024). Extending past theorizing on relational maintenance by exploring the lived experiences of separated Latina/o/x immigrant families. Human Communication Research, 50, 309-323.
Afifi, T., Merolla, A. J., Afifi, W., Gonzales, C., Salehuddin, A., Salmon, J., & Wilson, V. (2024). Reciprocal relationship maintenance in marriage and its impact on communal orientation, relational load, and one’s ability to flourish. Human Communication Research, 50, 309-323.