Getting a clipped one-word answer in a conversation can hurt in the same way as being left out. Across three experiments with more than 1,600 participants, people who received unexpectedly short replies reported lower satisfaction of basic psychological needs, even when the replies were warm or came from a close friend.
The research, by Sarah Mohammadi and Andrew H. Hales of the University of Mississippi, was published online on 12 August 2026 in the European Journal of Social Psychology.
A warm tone did not soften the blow
The authors start from the idea that conversation is a shared activity that only works when both people stay engaged. When one side suddenly goes terse, the exchange feels less inclusive, which they describe as a form of “partial ostracism.”
Study 1 (441 participants) found short replies lowered need satisfaction even when they were delivered in a warm tone. Study 2 (444 participants) found the same whether the brief replies came from an acquaintance or a close other. Study 3 (740 participants) found the effect held even when an outside reason for the brevity was available.
Feeling devalued explains the sting
In each case, the effect ran through perceived relational devaluation: short replies made people feel the other person valued the relationship less. The studies were preregistered, and the data and materials are publicly available, according to the journal page.
The authors note one reason the behaviour may be hard to tackle. Because a short reply is not outright exclusion, the person sending it can easily deny they were shutting anyone out, which leaves the recipient with little to confront.
Study Details:
- Title: Short Replies as Partial Ostracism: How Receiving Bare-Minimum Engagement Threatens Basic Needs
- Authors: Sarah Mohammadi, Andrew H. Hales
- Journal: European Journal of Social Psychology
- Publication Date: August 12, 2026
- DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.70105