Adam Richards

Adam Richards

Professor & Chair, Communication Studies

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Dr. Adam Richards is Professor and Chair in the Department of Communication Studies at Furman University. His work focuses on the effects of persuasive communication on attitudes and behaviors across a variety of contexts, including public health, sustainability, politics, and conspiracy theory propaganda. Overall, this scholarship is guided by the question, “How can we strategically employ messages that facilitate well-being for individuals, relationships, and communities?” Dr. Richards has authored numerous articles appearing in journals like Communication Monographs, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, and Health Communication, and his research has received awards from regional, national, and international communication associations. At Furman, Dr. Richards teaches courses in strategic communication, health communication, persuasion and social influence, and research methods.

Dr. Richards joined the Furman faculty in 2020. Prior to that, he spent seven years on faculty at Texas Christian University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, an M.A. from the University of Montana, and a B.A. from Wake Forest University, all in Communication.

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Maryland
  • M.A., University of Montana
  • B.A., Wake Forest University

Research Interests

  • Persuasion and Social Influence
  • Health Communication
  • Strategic communication

Select Publications

  • Carpenter, C. J., Richards, A., & Zhuang, J. (2026). Psychological reactance theory and politeness theory: A test of competing explanations for the role of threat to freedom in conveying persuasive resistance. Communication Monographs. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2026.2615230
  • Richards, A. S., & Brown, H. (2025). Smile intensity in pre-race registration photos predicts trail ultramarathon performance. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2025.2570190
  • Zhuang, J., & Richards, A. (2026). When is injunctive norms messaging counterproductive? Exploring the effect of language variation in social norms messaging on psychological reactance. Health Communication, 41(2), 336-348. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2025.2514149
  • Crowley, J., Denes, A., Richards, A., Whitt, J., & Makos, S. (2025). An exploratory study of the associations between Epstein-Barr Virus antibodies and forgiveness among recipients of relational transgressions in the USA. Journal of Religion and Health, 64, 4734-4758. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02184-4
  • Richards, A. S., Curcio, N. S., Hall, S. G. (2025). Two sides of the same quip: Humor appeals can indirectly reduce reactance via perceived humor but simultaneously increase reactance independently of perceived humor. Behavioral Sciences, 15(11), 1509. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15111509
  • Bessarabova, E., Turner, M. M., & Richards, A. S. (2024). Anger, efficacy, and message processing: A test of the Anger Activism Model. Southern Communication Journal, 89(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2023.2250301
  • Rains, S. A., & Richards, A. S. (2024). U.S. state vaccine mandates did not influence COVID-19 vaccination rates but reduced uptake of COVID-19 boosters and flu vaccines compared to bans on vaccine restrictions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(8), e2313610121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2313610121
  • Richards, A. S., Cooley, E., Miller, J., & Watterson, R. (2024). Testing the Mercator effect: Global map projections persuade differently according to the emphasis frames used to contextualize them. Communication Reports, 37(2), 109-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/08934215.2024.2303651
  • Richards, A. S., Semelsberger, J., Middleton, A. E., & Richards, B. S. (2024). Predicting satisfaction of parents of pediatric patients: Perceived quality of providers’ communication mitigates negative effects of shorter than desired consultations. Health Communication, 39(8), 1499-1509. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2219372
  • Yang, Q., Ledbetter, A., Zhuang, J., & Richards, A. S. (2023). Theme and sentiment of posts in a weight loss subreddit predict popularity, engagement, and users’ weight loss: A computational approach. Human Communication Research, 49(4), 452-459. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqad023
  • Banas, J. A., Palomares, N. A., Richards, A. S., Keating, D., Joyce, N., & Rains, S. A. (2022). When machine and bandwagon heuristics compete: Understanding users’ responses to conflicting AI and crowdsourced fact-checking on digital social media. Human Communication Research, 48(3), 430-461. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqac010
  • Biffi, D., Richards, A. S., & Weinburgh, M. (2022). Framing effects on attitudes and intentions towards shark meat consumption in Lima, Peru. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 3, 807252. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2022.807252
  • Keating, D., Richards, A., Palomares, N., Banas, J., Joyce, N., & Rains, S. (2022). Titling practices and their implications in communication research 1970-2010: Cutesy cues carry citation consequences. Communication Research, 49(5), 627-648. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650219887025
  • Richards, A. S., Bessarabova, E., Banas, J. A., & Bernard, D. R. (2022). Reducing psychological reactance to health promotion messages: Comparing preemptive and postscript mitigation strategies. Health Communication, 37(3), 366-374. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1839203
  • Richards, A. S., Rice, P., & Covington, L. (2022). Petty in pink: Clothing color moderates audience perceptions of a female politician’s verbal aggression. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 41(3), 270-287. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X211045372
  • Armstrong, K., Richards, A. S., & Boyd, K. (2021). Red-hot reactance: Color cues moderate the freedom threatening characteristics of health PSAs. Health Communication, 36(6), 663-670. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1700885
  • Richards, A. S. (2021). The tall order of teaching measurement reliability: Introducing Classical Test Theory through observations of human height. Communication Teacher, 35(4), 288-293. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2020.1866768
  • Richards, A. S., Bessarabova, E., Banas, J. A., & Larsen, M. (2021). Freedom-prompting reactance mitigation strategies function differently across levels of trait reactance. Communication Quarterly, 69(3), 238-258. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2021.1920443
  • Richards, A. S., Qin, Y., Daily, K., & Nan, X. (2021). African American parents’ perceived vaccine efficacy moderates the effect of message framing on psychological reactance to HPV vaccine advocacy. Journal of Health Communication, 26(8), 534-544. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2021.1966688;
  • Clyne, L., Fellers, M., & Richards, A. S. (2020). Metacognitive inoculation reduces the persuasiveness of sarcastic attack messages. Communication Reports, 33, 68-81. doi:10.1080/08934215.2020.1755876
  • Turner, M. M., Richards, A. S., Bessarabova, E., & Magid, Y. (2020). The effects of anger appeals on systematic processing and intentions: The moderating role of efficacy. Communication Reports, 33, 14-26. doi:10.1080/08934215.2019.1682175
  • Armstrong, K., Richards, A. S., & Boyd, K. (2019). Red-hot reactance: Color cues moderate the freedom threatening characteristics of health PSAs. Health Communication. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/10410236.2019.1700885
  • Keating, D., Richards, A., Palomares, N., Banas, J., Joyce, N., & Rains, S. (2019). Titling practices and their implications in communication research 1970-2010: Cutesy cues carry citation consequences. Communication Research. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/0093650219887025
  • Hample, D., & Richards, A. S. (2019). Personalizing conflict in different interpersonal relationship types. Western Journal of Communication, 83, 190-209. doi:10.1080/10570314.2018.1442017
  • Nan, X., Daily, K., Richards, A., Holt, C. (2019). Parental support for HPV vaccination mandates among African Americans: The impact of message framing and consideration of future consequences. Health Communication, 34, 1404-1412. doi:10.1080/10410236.2018.1493419
  • Nan, X., Daily, K., Richards, A., Holt, C., Wang, M. Q., Tracy, K., & Qin, Y. (2019). The role of trust in health information from medical authorities in accepting the HPV vaccine among African American parents. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 15, 1723-1731. doi:10.1080/21645515.2018.1540825
  • Moore, K. P., & Richards, A. S. (2019). The effects of instructor credibility, grade incentives, and advantage framing of a technology policy on students’ intent to comply and motivation to learn. Communication Studies, 70, 394-411. doi:10.1080/10510974.2019.1617761. doi:10.1080/10510974.2019.1617761
  • Richards, A. S., & Banas, J. A. (2018). The opposing mediational effects of apprehensive threat and motivational threat when inoculating against reactance to health promotion. Southern Communication Journal, 83, 245-255. doi:10.1080/1041794X.2018.1498909
  • Banas, J. A., & Richards, A. S. (2017). Apprehension or motivation to defend attitudes? Exploring the underlying threat mechanism in inoculation-induced resistance to persuasion. Communication Monographs, 84, 164-178. doi:10.1080/03637751.2017.1307999
  • Cionea, I. A., Richards, A. S., & Straub, S. K. (2017). Factors predicting the intent to engage in arguments in close relationships: A revised model. Argumentation, 31, 121-163. doi:10.1007/s10503-016-9400-z
  • Richards, A. S., Banas, J. A., & Magid, Y. (2017). More on inoculating against reactance to persuasive health messages: The paradox of threat. Health Communication, 32, 890-902. doi:10.1080/10410236.2016.1196410
  • Richards, A. S., & Fink, E. L. (2017). Attributional chromatics: How does the color of written communication affect interpersonal perceptions? International Journal of Communication, 11, 1683-1704.
  • Richards, A. S., & Larsen, M. (2017). Anger expression moderates the effects of psychological reactance to sexual health messages. Health Communication, 32, 1491-1500. doi:10.1080/10410236.2016.1230811
  • Hample, D., & Richards, A. S. (2016). A cognitive model of argument, with application to the base-rate phenomenon and cognitive-experiential self-theory. Communication Research, 34, 739-760. doi:10.1177/0093650214534961
  • Luechtefeld, S., & Richards, A. S. (2016). The interaction of issue and image coverage on political candidate assessment. Communication Studies, 67, 20-36. doi:10.1080/10510974.2015.1088048
  • Nan, X., Madden, K., Richards, A., Holt, C., Wang, M., & Tracy, K. (2016). Message framing, perceived susceptibility, and intentions to vaccinate one’s child against HPV among African American parents. Health Communication, 31, 798-805. doi:10.1080/10410236.2015.1005280
  • Richards, A. S. (2016). Assessing the structure of efficacy and outcome expectancies in the decision to disclose secrets: A comparison of contrasting theories. Communication Reports, 29, 50-61. doi:10.1080/08934215.2015.1038841
  • Richards, A. S., & Hample, D. (2016). Facial similarity mitigates the persuasive effects of source bias: An evolutionary explanation for kinship and susceptibility to influence. Communication Monographs, 83, 1-24. doi:10.1080/03637751.2015.1014822
  • Hample, D., & Richards, A. S. (2015). Attachment, serial arguing, and taking conflict personally. Journal of Argumentation in Context, 4, 63-86. doi:10.1075/jaic.4.1.04ham
  • Nan, X., Dahlstrom, M., Richards, A., & Rangarajan, S. (2015). Influence of evidence type and narrative type on HPV risk perception and intention to obtain the HPV vaccine. Health Communication, 30, 301-308. doi:10.1080/10410236.2014.888629
  • Richards, A. S., & Banas, J. A. (2015). Inoculating against reactance to persuasive health messages. Health Communication, 30, 451-460. doi:10.1080/10410236.2013.867005
  • Richards, A. S., & Cionea, I. A. (2015). Extending the argument engagement model: Expected utility and interacting traits as predictors of the decision to argue with friends. Journal of Argumentation in Context, 4, 110-133. doi:10.1075/jaic.4.1.06ric
  • Richards, A. S. (2014). Predicting attitude toward methamphetamine use: The role of anti-drug campaign exposure and conversations about meth in Montana. Health Communication, 29, 124-136. doi:10.1080/10410236.2012.728469
  • Richards, A. S., & Sillars, A. L. (2014). Imagined interactions as predictors of secret revelation and health. Communication Research, 41, 236-256. doi:10.1177/0093650212438392
  • Sillars, A. L., Holman, A., Richards, A., Jacobs, K., Koerner, A., & Reynolds, A. (2014). Conversation and conformity orientations as predictors of observed conflict tactics in parent-adolescent discussions. Journal of Family Communication, 14, 16-31. doi:10.1080/15267431.2013.857327
  • Hample, D., Richards, A. S., & Skubisz, C. (2013). Blurting. Communication Monographs, 80, 503-532. doi:10.1080/03637751.2013.830316
  • Hample, D., Richards, A. S., & Na., L. (2012). A test of the conflict linkage model in the context of serial arguments. Western Journal of Communication, 76, 459-479. doi:10.1080/10570314.2012.703361
  • Paquin, R. S., Richards, A. S., Koehly, L. M., & McBride, C. M. (2012). Exploring dispositional tendencies to seek online information about direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 2, 392-400. doi:10.1007/s13142-012-0159-y
  • Richards, A. S. (2012). Course sequencing in the communication curriculum: A case study. Communication Education, 61, 395-427. doi:10.1080/03634523.2012.713500

Additional Professional Activity

  • National Communication Association
  • International Communication Association
  • Southern States Communication Association

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