While the literature generally shows that networking behavior leads to long-term outcomes, such as career success, scholars have recently lamented our lack of knowledge on short-term mechanisms and processes of networking (Wanberg et al., 2020). This paper adopts this call and focuses on how people experience networking and its immediate, short-term consequences. We build upon conservation of resources theory to develop and test a model of networking behavior and its immediate costs and benefits. Drawing from data of two experimental laboratory studies and a field study of networking events, we find that networking behavior simultaneously depletes cognitive resources (self-control) and generates affective resources (positive affect). We also show that impression management mediates the relationship between networking behavior and self-control depletion, whereas extraversion serves as a buffer, such that introverts experience higher self-control depletion from networking. We conclude that immediate experiences from networking have both a bright and a dark side, leaving people ‘happy, but depleted’ and contribute to a more balanced discussion of networking behavior among scholars and practitioners.

虽然文献通常表明社交行为会导致长期结果，例如职业成功，但学者们最近哀叹我们缺乏对社交的短期机制和过程的了解（Wanberg 等人，2020 年）。本文采纳了这一呼吁，重点关注人们如何体验网络及其直接的短期后果。我们建立在资源保护理论的基础上，开发和测试网络行为模型及其直接成本和收益。根据两项实验性实验室研究和一项网络事件实地研究的数据，我们发现网络行为会同时耗尽认知资源（自我控制）并产生情感资源（积极影响）。我们还表明，印象管理调节网络行为和自我控制耗竭之间的关系，而外向性起到缓冲作用，因此内向的人会从网络中经历更高的自我控制耗尽。我们的结论是，人际关系的直接体验既有光明的一面也有阴暗的一面，让人“快乐，但精疲力竭”，并有助于学者和从业者对人际关系行为进行更平衡的讨论。