Cell phones are everywhere. Cell phone use has only gone up in past years, and in 2015, 68% of Americans owned a smart phone (Pew Research 2015). That’s a 33% increase from 2011, and the numbers keep getting higher. For those owning a cell phone, 90% report that it’s on their body “frequently,” and a share say they use cell phone apps and browsers “continuously” (Rainie & Zickuhr 2015).

In the past, it was accepted that to reach another person, they had to be at home and hear the phone. Phones with cords meant traveling to the kitchen and awkwardly standing around until you were finished talking. Now, with cell phones on hand 24/7, one can be reached at any time. Whether lying awake at night, the dull glow inhibiting serotonin (Santhi, Thorne1, Veen, Johnsen, Mills, Hommes, Schlangen3, Archer1 & Dijk, 2011) or getting a text during a conversation with a real person and stopping to check it, there is a psychological weight to being always connected that is pulling people away from reality. Cell phones are a comforting addition to people’s lives, but that comfort is similar to the comfort felt by alcoholics and drug addicts, as cell phones use is linked to anxiety and depression, and has withdrawal effects in many cases (Konok, Gigler, Bereczky & Miklosi, 2016).

People can become attached to their cell phones, worrying if they drop them and cradling them like a child. Because they are such an integral part of the human experience now, a kind of cell phone attachment has now developed, focusing less on the allowances cell phones give us and more on the object itself. When charged events in one’s life occur, one can check their cell phone almost like a security blanket, reminding the user that being connected is only a few button presses away. This fear, coupled with the need for connection and concern that one will miss out on social connections bleeds into real life and flesh and blood relationships.

This paper will focus on the fact that overuse of cell phones can cause anxiety, lead to problems in interpersonal communication and even be a danger to mental health.

When do cell phones stop being a tool and start being a clutch?

Because cell phones are not malevolent, their misuse cannot be attributed to the technology itself.

Instead, a cell phone is an item that is psychologically soothing (Konok et. al, 2016) in times of stress. In an article focused on mobile phones as they relate to attachment styles, (a system that explains when people are motivated to connect to others, and why) it was found that when an attachment object, such as a mother or relative, was not available, children found methods for coping. Attachment avoidance happens when a child either distances themselves from others as a result of this attachment figure being unavailable or finds an alternate form of comfort. It is important to note that this comfort does not have to come from a flesh and blood person—it can be a pet or an inanimate object, such as a phone (Konak, et. al., 2016).

The study also found that even healthy, functioning adults could fall prey to the lure of an inanimate object’s affection. When social relationships are unfulfilling, the cellphone becomes a security blanket to rely on (Konak, et. al., 2016). This may not be a sign of mental instability—on the contrary, attachment to non-living objects is nothing new. Many people may become attached to their car, for example, and this is not looked at as odd in the slightest. However, while cars may provide a certain comfort, the attachment to cell phones can become unhealthy for a different reason.

Unlike a car, the relationship between a person and their cellphone show many similarities between a mother and child. More specifically, “proximity seeking and separation stress” (Konak, et. al., 2016). Why is this common with cell phones, but not other inanimate objects, such as one’s wallet or car? Both offer affordances, and a car allows one access to social connections while a wallet gives access to basically everything.

However, while a car may be looked at with fondness, it is by no means a fanatical obsession, and a wallet is simply a means to an end. So why are cell phones so different?

While one may suddenly feel like going for a drive, the need to stay connected is always there. While an argument can be made that humans have always been anti-social, never in history has there been such a dangerously convenient device for communicating. Emerging technologies such as cell phones have been linked to depression and anxiety, and a comparison has been made to security blankets as they produce a similar relief, providing they are nearby (Panova & Lleras, 2016).

Individuals who use their cell phones on vibrate may even experience a “phantom ringing,” where they feel their phone vibrating and assume an incoming message, only to find out no message has come in (Kruger & Djerf, 2016). Individuals with an anxious attachment style, or those with unhappy relationships, were more likely to experience this phenomenon. It’s clear that unlike a newspaper or a similar media device from the past, there is something gripping about cell phones that can affect even healthy individuals. By simply having a cell phone nearby, even mentally sound adults can feel a comfort, and a subsequent panic when battery runs low.

            One may argue against the notion that cell phones and emerging technologies are harmful, saying that “every new communication technology that comes along has similar claims made against it” (Westerman et. al, p. 97). However, a newspaper is not updated regularly. Once one reads it, the information stays stagnant. The telephone allowed access to social connections, but only when one was in reach of it. The argument that new communication technologies are always criticized does not hold water given the type of communication in the past. A letter took time to compose, and one had until they dropped it in the mailbox to take back their words.

A telephone did not allow access to all existing social media connections at once, only one connection while you were in the house.

            In the past, people wrote songs about waiting at home for the phone to ring. That psychological waiting is an important trait of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Because CMC is asynchronous (Westerman, Lachlan & Bowman, 10) people can choose to wait a week to respond to messages, or not respond at all. This can be a difficult psychological strain when attempting to connect online, especially for antisocial or anxious individuals. Because of this, when an argument is made that emerging technologies lead to anxiety and depression, it should not be brushed aside so easily.

            Research from the University of Azad, in Iran linked anxiety, stress and depression to increased use of CMC (Poorakbaran, 2015).  In this study, 209 young people ranged from 15-29 years were given a questionnaire to measure the effects of depression, anxiety and stress as it related to internet and cellphone addiction. Demographics and age were concluded. Current research has concluded that cellphone addicts use the medium to get away from family and friends, get away from social priorities and obligations, and become secluded from the real world. In addition, cellphones are linked to disrupted sleep. The results of the study at Azad University showed that “the use of emerging communication tools is high” and shows a correlation between overuse and stress, depression and anxiety (2015).

The fact that cell phones disrupt sleep is more evidence of an ever-growing need to be connected at all times. As stated previously, cell phones can act as a kind of security blanket, but it’s time for a real blanket, their artificial light can prevent actual sleep. Staying up and looking at the dull glow of the screen has been shown to hinder sleep (Santhi, Thorne, Veen, Johnson, Mills, Hommes, Schlangen, Archer & Dijk, 2011).

Melatonin levels rise two to three hours before habitual bedtime, and can be disrupted through artificial lighting such as the glow from one’s phone. This was researched by a study in the UK which focused on sleep as it related to light conditions. Using seventy-four healthy individuals that reported regular sleep patterns at the beginning of the study, the test subjects were subjected to various lighting conditions before bed. While there were remarkable differences in how affected individuals responded, data confirmed that artificle light in the evening can disrupt sleep (Santhi et. al., 2011).

             College students and individuals with “addictive-style” behaviors seem to be the most at risk for anxiety induced by cell-phones, according to a study from the University of Illinois (Banducci, 2016). Again, cell phones were shown to have a short-term comfort-inducing effect when they were nearby during stressful periods. This is more evidence towards cellphone addiction among college students, especially those with addictive personalities. The findings of this study, however, clarify that although cell phones may act as a security blanket, they may not actually be a good stress-alleviator. 

Cell phones might be the cause of social anxiety as well, according to University of California’s journalism professor Tamyra Pierce. In an online article by New York science writer Alexander Ossola, Pierce is quoted as saying, “If we are glued to technology 24/7, it’s also going to have an effect on social skills… it’s just natural” (Ossola, 2015).    

            Pierce (2009) attempted to find causation between technology and social anxiety, and found that the more a student texted, the more anxiety they felt about communicating face to face (FtF). According to Pierce, social media is a clutch that allows people to avoid FtF interactions. Pierce’s other research seems to support this, but readily admits that “much more research needs to be done” (Pierce, 2009).  

Because all current cell phones are linked to the internet, the devices are constantly linked to social media.  Flip phones, in the past, were only able to make calls and send texts, but the world of cell phones allow a user to play games, check the internet, check Facebook, connect to users through messaging services and even attempt to find love over dating sites. This makes the appeal of cell phones greater than it would be otherwise, as it can provide a near infinite amount of services. Even if a user is able to resist the need to stay connected with people they barely know, the next level of Candy Crush, a cellphone game designed to be addictive and keep people coming back may also keep people away from their day to day life.

            If cell phones are truly a factor in increasing social anxiety, that would show causation between using cell phones use and interpersonal communication skills. If one uses a cellphone to escape from the burdens of social obligations, the stress of avoiding those obligations may lead to more cellphone use and even worse interpersonal interactions. Because of this, it is important to focus on the aspects of interpersonal communication affected by these devices and how the aforementioned anxiety cellphones produce further degrades communication.

As the need to be connected is a basic building block of the human experience, it stands to reason that this tool, left unchecked, could lead to overuse and problems down the road. If an individual has access to social connection that are not rewarding, constantly checking in on them may not be productive in feeling better. In addition, if the information they receive is negative, such as hearing from an ex-partner or a doctor, checking their cellphone may produce even more stress.

Item descriptionIs the convenience of having access to so many people worth the time spent connecting? It is worthwhile to ask whether time spent on in person connections and putting the phone down may yield better results. The benefits of cell phones would seem to outweigh any negatives, as they can be used to browse Facebook, play games, connect with new people, rekindle old connections, check email and even network professionally. At its heart, a cellphone is a tool, which makes it hard to argue against. Instead, it is the users who must be diligent to manage their time wisely and not neglect important connections for superficial ones.

The comfort cell phones provide may override even flesh and blood, in-person interactions. A Tedx study using a large sample size found that when people allow cellphone interruptions during FtF communications, nonverbal communication and tone changing, or ostensive signals, are interrupted. The result of interrupted ostensive signals included a decrease in speaker sympathy and a possibility of negative beliefs from the communication partner (Calero, Rosenfeld, Slezak, Garbulsky, Bergman, Trevisan & Sigman, 2015). Checking your cellphone during a conversation is an example of an implicit norm, a rule that is not explicitly stated, but generally looked down upon (Fournier, 2016.)

For teens with social anxiety, CMC may be an attractive alternative to seeing people in person. Pierce states that more research needs to be done, but infers a strong connection between those suffering from social anxiety and a reliance in using computer mediated methods such as cell phones. Her research defines social anxiety as ‘‘a state of anxiety resulting from the prospect or presence of interpersonal evaluation in real or imagined social settings,” (p. 1368) and that it is a more extreme version of shyness. In addition, while people are motivated to feel that they belong, for socially anxious individuals this takes much more to achieve. Because of this, socially anxious individuals and adults alike enjoy computer mediated communication for the sense of control it gives (Pierce, 2009).

Unearthing the truth of President Donald J. Trump’s ties to Russia remains a difficult venture for the Washington Post, Post reporter Tom Hamburger said Monday at the University of Connecticut.

“We are constantly overwhelmed,” Hamburger said. “We’re grappling with [staying focused amid] this cascade of daily events, of tweets, that throw us off guard.”

There’s a consensus in the news room, Hamburger said, that the tweets are designed to distract or change the subject. Nevertheless, he said that they are still statements from the President of the United States.

“[We’re expanding] to try and cope with what’s going on,” Hamburger said. “We have fix full-time reporters covering the White House and the president… We’ve more than doubled our team [since President Barack Obama’s presidency and] I can tell you that our White House correspondents are flat-out exhausted at this point.”

Hamburger said that Russia’s interference in the presidential election is a historic event, and that many people working in intelligence agencies view the Russia’s cyber campaign that uses bots, fake news sites and emails as a military invasion.

“There’s going to be a demand to understand what happened here,” Hamburger said.

“Whether this leads to [something that] undermines presidential credibility—and the real test is whether it intrudes on Republican sensibilities—we don’t know yet.”

Previously, Hamburger had the difficult job of investigating the Clinton Foundation, which he said received more money than any political family in U.S. History.

As a money in politics reporter, Trump captured Hamburger’s attention early on, he said.

“We have never had a presidential candidate like Donald Trump,” Hamburger said. “He had an [active, international business] that was engaged in very complicated transactions, ownerships and licensing agreements all across the world.”

Hamburger’s job was to dive into this empire and translate what he found for the public, as well as discover who Trump might be beholden to if he were elected.

What Hamburger and other reporters took note of was Trump’s strange, complimentary attitude toward Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia, during the campaign.

“[This is] a country we’ve been engaged with for decades in a cold war,” he said. “Here we have a nominee saying [about their leader], and this is an exact quote: ‘I like him. He’s a strong leader. He’s so much stronger than our president.’”

Hamburger also noted that Trump said he liked Putin because, “He says nice things about me.”

In early March of election year, Trump named a prominent Republican consultant to his campaign by the name of Paul Manafort.

The Post ran the consultant’s lawsuits and found an obscure suit filed by Surf Horizon, a limited partnership wholly owned by a Russian businessman named Oleg Deripaska who was an ally of Putin, Hamburger said.

The suit claimed that Paul Manafort and his partner, Rick Gates, had made off with 19 million in investment funds, Hamburger said.

It was an “aha” moment for Manafort, who said that he realized there may be a bigger plot to investigate.

The Washington Post has also helped discover the ties that Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security advisor, had to the Russians, Hamburger said.

But beyond the odd exchange of compliments and the odd coincidence, Hamburger said that finding a financial relationship between Trump and Putin has not been a simple process.

“[Trump] was [once] asked on one of the Sunday talk shows about Putin’s record of human rights,” Hamburger said. “[When told about Putin’s killing of journalists,] Trump said, ‘Well that

happens in other countries as well.’”

Trump’s opinion on reporters is clear, Hamburger said.

“Post-campaign, Trump referred to reporters as “the lowest form of humanity. That was not sufficient,” Hamburger said. “Then he called us the lowest form of life. As you know, he famously referred to us as, ‘enemy of the people.’”

The Post has had to hire additional security, Hamburger said, not for individual reporters but for the number of threats they’ve received, which has been on the rise during the campaign.

“It’s really been extraordinary,” Hamburger said.

Hamburger said his colleagues occasionally felt physically threatened at Trump rallies, and have been yelled at from time to time.

A young reporter on his staff, Jose A. DelReal, was photographed at Trump rallies and had his picture posted on Instagram with the word “Lügenpresse” printed on his forehead, a phrase used by Nazi Germany to mean “lying press,” Hamburger said.

“This was a moment we felt, and we felt intimidated by it,” Hamburger said.

Trump also withdrew the credentials of the Washington Post during the campaign, Hamburger said, which meant that the Post could not travel with the candidate and could not get guaranteed admission to events. They also had to wait in line to get in like any other members of the public.

Trump has always been aggressive with the press even before his presidency, and he wears that as a badge of honor, Hamburger said.

“He talked during the campaign about our need to reform our libel laws so that he could more aggressively and easily sue those who had defamed him,” Hamburger said.

A decade earlier, Trump filed a libel suit against a New York Times reporter who had written a column saying that Donald Trump was not worth as much as many millions as he claimed,

Hamburger said.

“This is a guy who threatens lawsuits and acts on those threats,” Hamburger said. “Almost every story [we write] is reviewed by lawyers as well as traditional editors.”

Tom’s colleague, David Fahrenthold, recently won the Pulitzer prize for investigative reporting on Trump’s charities.

“Trump was always advertising his generosity and his willingness to give to charitable causes,” Hamburger said.

His colleague Fahrenthold looked at what the Trump administration said it donated, and then where the money went.

“[A veteran’s organization] was promised a million dollars, but it never arrived. [A 6-foot tall portrait of Trump was in fact not donated to charity but instead] donated to a board room on a Trump golf course,” Hamburger said. “The only charity it had gone to was a Donald Trump company.”

Hamburger said that the Trump presidency is unlike anything the Post has experienced in Washington or presidential politics, but that they will keep on working. “We educate ourselves as reporters so we can educate the public,” Hamburger said. “It goes back to the doctrines of the founding fathers. Thomas Jefferson said, ‘It’s an educated populace making decisions in the full light of information that keeps us free.’ We have that high-minded notion in mind.”

After the speech, two UConn students gave their thoughts.

“I found the talk interesting, if not particularly illuminating,” Camille Chill said. “I believe Hamburger knows significantly more than he’s sharing with us today. I obviously understand the need for his secrecy, but I was kind of hoping for a nod and a wink type thing.” Chill also said that Hamburger felt evasive on questions about Russia, but added that his reporting and speaking skills were sound.

“I thought [this] was a pertinent topic,” Kaitlyn Allen said. “I lived in Russia, so I’m wondering, ‘What are they reporting on there? What are their viewpoints of their president’s interactions with our president?’”

Allen said that reporters are being called “the scum of the earth,” or “the opposition,” and that the change in how we’re getting our information is why people support Trump.

“They’re saying, ‘Oh, the Washington Post isn’t credible’ [and then going] to Fox News and saying, ‘This is credible.’,” Allen said. “It was interesting listening to [Hamburger]. He juggled very well being a reporter and [also] trying to be credible.”

The story of “Paul's Case” begs to be looked at twice. Willa Cather paints Paul as a problem

child from the first page, a defiant youth with a dramatic flair who looks down his nose at authority.

The entire time we are with Paul we never see a shred of remorse for his actions, and by the end those

sympathetic to his plight are grasping at straws as to why.

I wanted to be sympathetic to Paul, to his circumstances and his passions. I reread the story

again and again, trying to find some excuse as to why on earth I could be drawn to such a brat. The

answer came with my love of theater, my passion for the arts. I wanted to see Paul as a budding actor,

but he shares no such dream. I wanted to see Paul as redeemable, but to the end he thinks only of

himself. Finally, I wanted to agree with Paul's romantic ego.

In the end, however, Paul's ego is his only defining character trait—he clings to romance to avoid responsibility, he steals and lies for a moment in the spotlight, and his complete lack of compassion or empathy makes his end a warning, not a tragedy.

It has been said that we are all the main characters in our own stories. The viewpoint that Paul holds is that he should have been written into a different role.

When we meet the boy, he is being reprimanded by his teachers after a week-long suspension.

We're immediately told that there is “something of the dandy about him,” and the red carnation in his buttonhole tells of a boy who wishes he could be elsewhere, but will indulge the faculty if he must.

The red carnation is a symbol of romance, and only the first that Cather hides amidst the pages.

The teachers state their respective charges against Paul, and he bears it better than boys much older than him. In fact, he smiles throughout this “baptism of fire”, but this smile is intentionally misleading! Everything Paul does is done to raise himself above his station or escape his own reality.

After the principle is satisfied, Paul leaves with a bow. As he runs down the street, he whistles the chorus from Faust, looking back “wildly” to see if his teachers are there to “writhe under this light-heartedness” (Charters 239). Cather's use of the word wildly tells us that this goes beyond a simple ego—Paul has a desperate need to be seen for more than what he is.

He ushers at Carnegie Hall, and we learn that to Paul, the theater is everything. This is not

because of any life-long dream or future career! In fact, the theater is an escape from reality, and Paul will do anything to protect the key to escape his dreary cage. His English teacher hands him her tickets, and for a moment, his realities collide. Ushering gives Paul a sort of power, and he muses that “It were as though this were a great reception, and Paul was the host” (Charters 240). The teacher being there forces him to acknowledge her authority, and he immediately judges her to regain his imaginary position of power above her, deciding that she is not dressed properly and looks a fool.

After the concert, Paul experiences a kind of withdrawal. He is always “irritable and wretched” following performances, and it speaks to the kind of person that Paul is that he merely spectates and resents what he cannot have (and will not work to achieve!)

Apathy in College Students

America is an individualistic culture. Individualistic cultures value the individual above all else, focusing on competition and self-progress over group harmony (Gass & Seiter, 2011). This sink-or- swim mentality does not exclude college students, with state colleges and universities placing undue stress on students to be the best of their peers, and even this essay's grading rubric states that “Outstanding work that ranks among the best in class will earn you an A”. With this mindset, college students are told that “doing your best” is not enough; it is mandatory to compete with everyone else to get top marks.

Rather than judging students on their previous work, they are judged in comparison with other students, making college a competition. Receiving a 4.0 (or an A average) two semesters in a row will earn you a gold pin at UCONN, akin to an Olympic medal's grading system. This is the mindset of an individualistic culture, where students are taught to stand out and flourish, with mental health and stress management left to the individual. In addition, impression management, which indicates that we present our best face to the world, means that students often shoulder the burden when college stress gets to be too much because they are taught to be better than to ask for help (Guerrro, Andersen & Afifi, 2013).

With this mindset in mind, it should come as no surprise that apathy is rampant among college students (Bjornsen et al, 2007).

Because apathy is different from depression, characterized as having a lack of interests and emotions, it would make sense for interpersonal communication to be affected. In addition, understanding that student debt looms on the horizon means that failing a class isn't a learning process- it is wealth lost and stress earned.

Considering this, how is interpersonal communication affected by those apathetic to their college experience? College students experience apathy in response to college stress; life satisfaction is negatively correlated with this stress, stress leads to negativity and interpersonal relationships suffer because of it.

Because America is an individualistic culture, college students are expected to sink or swim on their own. Due to this, apathy as a construct was basically dropped by by social science researchers by 1995, and it took a collectivist culture—Japan—to begin research on it. Collectivist cultures are different from individualist culture as they focus on group harmony and an individual's well-being, and while research by Bjornsen, Scepansky and Suzuki ultimately found that apathy is stronger in college students from Japan, the president of the American Psychological Association stated that, in general, we're experiencing the “worst demoralization” in history. The findings by Bjornsen indicate a strong difference between apathy and depression, and while an apathetic person can also be depressed, apathy and depression are “cognitively, neurologically and behaviorally distinct” (Bjornsen et al., 2007).

Apathy is defined as a lack of interests and emotions, and a very telling quote from an article on apathy in college students states that "the struggle to find commitment is perhaps characteristic of most college students, but the alienated student is one who is on the verge of abandoning the search for commitment" (Bjornsen et al., 2007).

It is the job of the college student to care about their grades, their classes and ultimately their future, but apathy sets in when stress becomes too much and it stops feeling worth it to commit. When one considers the makings of an individualistic culture (survival of the fittest), a student told to be the best while barely scraping by is sure to experience a great deal of stress, and may find themselves not caring about other things, including relationships.

In fact, a college student's performance is a primary concern in his life, and research in 1993 found that if left unchecked, this concern may actually hinder learning unless managed “either actively or passively” (Boekaerts, 1993).

In other words, an individualistic culture that values grades over self- health may actually be a detriment to the very thing it is trying to accomplish.

It is up to the student to manage his classes and contact his instructors when problems arise, but a study by Mansson in 2016 found that when there are problems, students experience a fight or flight response instead of calmly discussing their concerns with their teachers. If someone is doing poorly in a class, he may keep quiet to be a nameless voice in the crowd (out of embarrassment or otherwise) or fight, telling their instructor that they want to do better and asking how they can improve. If someone is apathetic (which as stated before is prevalent in college students), they will choose to remain hidden rather than fight for a better grade, even if he is concerned for his academic future (Mansson, 2016).

Grades and competition were shown to be the top factors of stress among college students (Holinka, 2015) and this stress actually decreased life satisfaction in the long-run. Psychological stress is defined as “the demand on an orgasm to adapt, cope or adjust,” and this relates to college students when classes or their workload gets to be too much. After all, assignments are due whether a student is ready for them or not. And for someone with a busy life, the simple act of balancing work and play can be overwhelming. In addition, when an individual is feeling stress, he may experience changes in mood, a decreased ability to feel pleasure, and a detriment to his overall physical health (Holinka, 2015). When one considers the overall decrease in life satisfaction coupled with the debt and time it takes to graduate, it is reasonable to assume that students unable to handle the stress may end up dropping out or becoming overwhelmed to lead a balanced life. Counseling is available at some colleges, but impression management may discourage individuals from making use of it.

What is impression management? People often manage their behavior to appear, on the outside, like everything is alright (Guerrero et al., 2010.) Because of this, people generally disclose only the positive aspects of themselves, in person and on social networking sites (Oh & LaRose, 2016). Students are told in an individualistic culture that it is important that they succeed on your own merits and are put into an education system where their grades are important and a high GPA is vital to their future success. They are then expected to compete with their peers to earn the highest marks possible.

Because of this, college students end up feeling high levels of apathy, and research indicates that high levels of apathy makes it more difficult to trust others and be open with your peers (Bjornsen et al, 2007).

When emerging into adulthood, individuals are meant to form connections with people and

expand their social network (Guarnieri, Smorti & Tani, 2014). With high levels of apathy and lower levels of trust, it is reasonable to assume that forming these connections would be much more difficult.

In a study by Kabasakal, life satisfaction was defined as the “dominance of positive feelings in daily relations over negative feelings,” meaning that as students experience higher college stress, they will begin to bring negative feelings into their interpersonal relationships. Disclosing these negative feelings will impact interpersonal relationships because people tend to view negativity as fairly telling of a person's character (Goodmon, Kelly & Mauldin, 2015). If a student keeps these negative feelings inside, it is reasonable to assume that their friends and family will notice and feel that they are not being open. In other words, college stress decreases life satisfaction which leads to negative thoughts that are brought into daily relationships. Finally, increased negative thoughts can lead to pessimism, which decreases social desirability (Milhabet, Le Barbenchon, Cambon & Molina, 2015). In addition, this negativity is also a detriment to new relationships—because first impressions are long lasting, outward negativity is often seen as an indicator of someone's inner character traits (Goodmon et al.,

2015). The amount of stress put upon college students is unhealthy. As stated before, a higher stress level is shown to have a negative impact on life satisfaction, and reducing stress is an important step to better relationships. Working hard is important, but competition and rising above the crowd is not always conducive to good mental health. In addition, how a student copes with stress depends on how the stressful event (such as a low grade on an exam) is processed (Lumley & Provenzano, 2003), and as stress negatively impacts life performance, the resulting negative emotions may lead students to process these events in a way not conducive to learning or a healthy self-esteem.

Students need to be looked at as individuals, with plans specifically laid out for them. One aspect of college stress occurs when students need to take a large amount of classes unrelated to their future careers. By talking to each student and understanding what job they wish to do, a better plan of study would be wildly beneficial, instead of making an actor understand higher-level math to graduate.

In addition, requiring students to write out stressful events from the semester, including why they feel they received the grades they did, will cause individuals to reflect upon future learning. In addition, this activity has been shown to have a positive correlation with GPA (Lumley et al, 2003).

Steps need to be taken to reduce college apathy. Counseling is available for UCONN students, but in an individualistic culture, it is often difficult to accept that one needs it. Instead of ignoring apathy and letting people text and talk in class, rather than being involved in the discussion, participation grades should have a larger impact, with shy students being given the option to help the class in other ways. Classes need to work on understanding the material together, and a group grade should be as important as an individual grade—two grades to be handed out at the end of the semester.

This would show employers how well a student participated and helped with the group grade, and would negate the impact of a GPA being so important.

Finally, students need to feel free to bring up the difficulties they face, and America needs to begin adapting a collectivist outlook on life, while retaining the qualities that make an individualistic culture work. Caring about the group as well as the individual, and striving to help everyone succeed is paramount to reducing apathy, well-being and good relationships.

Milhabet, I., Le Barbenchon, E., Cambon, L., & Molina, G. (2015). Comparative pessimism or optimism: Depressed mood, risk-taking, social utility and desirability. The Spanish Journal Of Psychology.

Bjornsen, C. A., Scepansky, J. A., & Suzuki, A. (2007). Apathy and personality traits among college students: A cross-cultural comparison. College Student Journal, 41(3), 668-675.

Mansson, D. (2016). Exploring College Students Expressed Concern About Their Academic Performance. College Student Journal, 50(1), 121-129.

Holinka, C. (2015). Stress, Emotional Intelligence, and Life Satisfaction In College Students. College Student Journal, 49(2), 300-311.

Oh, H. J., & LaRose, R. (2016, April). Impression management concerns and support-seeking behavior on social network sites. Retrieved April 16, 2016, from

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215302843

Guarnieri, S., Smorti, M., & Tani, F. (2015). Attachment relationships and life satisfaction during

emerging adulthood. Social Indicators Research, 121(3), 833-847. doi:10.1007/s11205-014-0655-1

Lumley, M. A., & Provenzano, K. M. (2003). Stress Management Through Written Emotional Disclosure Improves Academic Performance Among College Students With Physical Symptoms.

Journal Of Educational Psychology, 95(3), 641-649.

Guerrero, L. K., Andersen, P. A., & Afifi, W. A. (20013). Close encounters: Communication in relationships. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

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Gass, R. H., & Seiter, J. S. (1999). Persuasion, social influence, and compliance gaining. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.