Cheryl Harasymchuk
Biographic Data
| ID | 649653 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Cheryl Harasymchuk |
| GIVEN NAMES | Cheryl |
| FAMILY NAME | Harasymchuk |
| SIGNATURE | HARASYMCHUK C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Carleton University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9872-0035 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 136 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
When a Partner Supports Your Sexual Autonomy
Sexual need fulfillment is central to well-being in romantic relationships. Self-determination theory suggests that perceiving a romantic partner as autonomously supportive is linked with greater well-being through supporting the fulfillment of basic psychological needs. The current research examines whether there are unique associations with need fulfillment and sexual and relationship satisfaction when people perceive their partner as autonomou…
What is Nature? A Prototype Analysis of the Natural Environment
Given the inconsistent definitions of nature, we used a bottom-up protype approach (total N = 824) to solicit features of the natural environment (Study 1) and centrality ratings of those features (Study 2). Study 3 tested the prototype structure via ratings of scenarios composed of highly prototypical (vs. less prototypical) features. Over 100 features were generated, and features like wildlife , trees , and ecosystems were rated as most central…
Novel and Exciting or Tried and True? Tailoring Shared Relationship Experiences to Insecurely Attached Partners
In the current research, we extend work on buffering attachment insecurities by examining how tailoring shared relationship experiences to attachment avoidance and anxiety is associated with relationship satisfaction. Meta-analytic results across three dyadic 21-day diary studies ( N = 390 couples) revealed that on days when avoidantly attached individuals reported more (vs. less) novelty and excitement in their relationship, their typically lowe…
Women Are Slightly More Sexually Satisfied in Their Romantic Relationships Than Men
Buffering the Sting of Sexual Rejection to Promote Relationship Connection
Experiencing rejection from a romantic partner can be painful, and sexual rejection may have a lasting impact on satisfaction. However, some ways of communicating sexual rejection may elicit more constructive responses from the rejected partner, fostering continued connection in the face of rejection. Across three studies-a cross-sectional study of individuals in romantic relationships (Study 1; N = 315) and two dyadic daily diary studies (Studie…
University Students' Condom Use During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Humans instinctively adopt methods to reduce their risk of encountering harmful pathogens, yet their adherence to preventive health practices can often be erratic. Condoms exemplify one vital preventive tool against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that, despite their effectiveness, are not consistently utilized. This pattern of behavior appears to persist even during periods of widespread disease transmission, with varied data from the COV…
Perceived distress and relational boredom during the Covid-19 pandemic
Barriers to Participating in Self-Expanding Relationship Activities and the Role of Growth and Destiny Beliefs
New and exciting activities with a partner have been linked to a variety of benefits for intimate relationships; however, less is known about what hinders these activities. The goal of the present research was to examine the barriers that people face when planning shared new and exciting (i.e., self-expanding) relationship activities with their intimate partner and whether some people have traits (i.e., destiny and growth beliefs) that promote pe…
Interpersonal Playfulness as a Protective Factor Against Loneliness and Boredom in Single People Living Alone during the Covid-19 Lockdown
The COVID-19 pandemic added challenges to most people’s lives, while lockdown measures curtailed many coping mechanisms. Playfulness, a dispositional tendency toward engaging in amusing and entertaining behavior, was examined as a protective factor. We gathered open-ended responses and quantitative data over six weeks (once weekly) from a sample of single people living alone to evaluate the occurrence of interpersonal playful behaviors and the as…
Relational boredom as an obstacle for engaging in exciting shared activities
Although engaging in exciting, shared activities with a partner is one strategy for warding off relational boredom, people might be less likely to pursue these activities when they are bored, which could have implications for the maintenance of passion in romantic relationships. In the current study, we assessed couple members' ( N = 122 couples) daily experiences of relational boredom, the occurrence and quality of exciting, shared activities, a…
Conceptions and the experience of friendship in underrepresented groups
The authors reviewed the literature on the meaning and experience of friendship for members of underrepresented groups (sexual orientation and gender diversity, race and ethnicity). It is argued that many of the variables that contribute to friendship formation among mainstream groups (found in past research) also apply to underrepresented groups (e.g., environments that bring people into contact with one another, homophily). There also are commo…
Being Responsive and Self-Determined When it Comes to Sex
Couples experience greater satisfaction and desire when they are motivated to meet each other's sexual needs (sexual communal strength); however, doing so at the expense of one's own sexual needs (unmitigated sexual communion) can detract from satisfaction and desire. Self-determination theory suggests engaging in sex for pleasure and value (autonomous reasons) versus out of pressure and obligation (controlled reasons) may account for these diffe…
Dialing up desire and dampening disinterest
Romantic partners often regulate their emotions and affection to achieve certain goals, but research has yet to explore how partners regulate their expression of sexual desire during sex and its implications for couples' well-being. In two multi-part dyadic diary studies of primarily mixed-gender couples in longer-term relationships residing in North America, we examined three questions. First, is amplifying desire and suppressing disinterest dur…
Are Couples More Satisfied When They Match in Sexual Desire? New Insights From Response Surface Analyses
While sexual frequency and satisfaction are strong contributors to the quality and longevity of romantic relationships and overall well-being, mismatches in sexual desire between partners are common and have been linked with poorer satisfaction. Previous findings linking mismatches in desire with poorer relationship and sexual outcomes have typically been derived using difference scores, an approach that does not account for partners’ overall lev…
Worn out relationship? The role of expectations in judgments of relational boredom
This study examined the role of growth and security expectations in shaping people's judgments of relational boredom and conflict (for discriminant validity). In Studies 1 and 2, the type of expectation gaps (growth vs. security) in hypothetical relationships (as well as the occurrence of a gap in Study 2) was manipulated, and people's judgments of relational boredom and conflict were assessed; Study 3 assessed these associations in people's own …
Growing desire or growing apart? Consequences of personal self-expansion for romantic passion
Romantic passion represents one of the most fragile and elusive elements of relationship quality but one that is increasingly valued and tied to relationship and individual well-being. We provide the first examination of whether experiencing personal self-expansion-positive self-change and personal growth without a romantic partner-is a critical predictor of passion. Previous research has almost exclusively examined the consequences of couples' s…
Planning date nights that promote closeness
Spending time with a romantic partner by going on dates is important for promoting closeness in established relationships; however, not all date nights are created equally, and some people might be more adept at planning dates that promote closeness. Drawing from the self-expansion model and relationship goals literature, we predicted that people higher (vs. lower) in approach relationship goals would be more likely to plan dates that are more ex…
Machine learning uncovers the most robust self-report predictors of relationship quality across 43 longitudinal couples studies
Significance What predicts how happy people are with their romantic relationships? Relationship science—an interdisciplinary field spanning psychology, sociology, economics, family studies, and communication—has identified hundreds of variables that purportedly shape romantic relationship quality. The current project used machine learning to directly quantify and compare the predictive power of many such variables among 11,196 romantic couples. P…
Broadening your horizon one day at a time
Self-expansion in intimate relationships (i.e., broadening one's perspective through engaging in novel, exciting activities with a partner) has been associated with relationship benefits. The goal of this study was to propose a motivational model of self-expansion to understand what prompts people to engage in self-expanding activities in their relationship on a daily basis. We hypothesized that when people report stronger daily approach relation…
Broadening your horizons
In the early stages of romantic relationships, sexual desire is often intense, but over time, as partners get to know each other, desire tends to decline. Low sexual desire has negative implications for relationship satisfaction and maintenance. Self-expansion theory suggests that engaging in novel activities with a long-term romantic partner can reignite feelings of passion from the early stages of a relationship. Across 3 studies using dyadic, …
Giving in the bedroom
A common reason why people in ongoing romantic relationships report engaging in sex with their partner-in addition to pursuing their own pleasure-is to meet their partner's sexual needs. While meeting a partner's needs with responsiveness and care is crucial in romantic relationships, it is important, especially in the domain of sexuality, that people do not neglect their own needs when meeting the needs of their partner. In a 21-day daily experi…
Responses to dissatisfaction in friendships and romantic relationships
According to interpersonal script models, people’s responses to relational events are shaped by the reaction they expect from a close other. We analyzed responses to dissatisfaction in close relationships from an interpersonal script perspective. Participants reported on how a close friend or romantic partner would react to their expressions of dissatisfaction (using the exit-voice-loyalty-neglect typology). They were also asked to forecast wheth…
A prototype matching model of satisfaction in same‐sex friendships
The hypothesis that people experience greater friendship satisfaction when their friendship matches the prototype of intimacy interactions was tested. Consistent with this hypothesis, both women and men reported the greatest satisfaction when their “real‐world” friendship matched the prototype of intimacy interactions. This relation was even stronger when the friendship matched prototypical intimacy interaction patterns (e.g., self‐disclosure) th…
Spicing up the relationship? The effects of relational boredom on shared activities
The goal of this study was to examine how people respond to relational boredom in the context of growth-enhancing (i.e., novel) and security-restorative (i.e., familiar) shared activities. In Study 1, people's prescriptive and descriptive beliefs for responding to relational boredom were assessed. Next, we developed a prime of relational boredom (Study 2a) and examined its effects on behavioral intentions for shared activities (Studies 2b and 3) …
Compassionate love in romantic relationships
Compassionate love has been identified as one of the major types of love experienced in relationships (Berscheid, 2010), but one that has been overshadowed by the study of romantic love. In this article, we review research on compassionate love, a relative newcomer to the close relationships field, and present findings that more fully flesh-out the nature of the experience of this kind of love. We begin by discussing conceptions and measurement o…
Giving in the bedroom
A common reason why people in ongoing romantic relationships report engaging in sex with their partner-in addition to pursuing their own pleasure-is to meet their partner's sexual needs. While meeting a partner's needs with responsiveness and care is crucial in romantic relationships, it is important, especially in the domain of sexuality, that people do not neglect their own needs when meeting the needs of their partner. In a 21-day daily experi…
Broadening your horizons
In the early stages of romantic relationships, sexual desire is often intense, but over time, as partners get to know each other, desire tends to decline. Low sexual desire has negative implications for relationship satisfaction and maintenance. Self-expansion theory suggests that engaging in novel activities with a long-term romantic partner can reignite feelings of passion from the early stages of a relationship. Across 3 studies using dyadic, …
Compassionate love in romantic relationships
Compassionate love has been identified as one of the major types of love experienced in relationships (Berscheid, 2010), but one that has been overshadowed by the study of romantic love. In this article, we review research on compassionate love, a relative newcomer to the close relationships field, and present findings that more fully flesh-out the nature of the experience of this kind of love. We begin by discussing conceptions and measurement o…
Broadening your horizon one day at a time
Self-expansion in intimate relationships (i.e., broadening one's perspective through engaging in novel, exciting activities with a partner) has been associated with relationship benefits. The goal of this study was to propose a motivational model of self-expansion to understand what prompts people to engage in self-expanding activities in their relationship on a daily basis. We hypothesized that when people report stronger daily approach relation…
Planning date nights that promote closeness
Spending time with a romantic partner by going on dates is important for promoting closeness in established relationships; however, not all date nights are created equally, and some people might be more adept at planning dates that promote closeness. Drawing from the self-expansion model and relationship goals literature, we predicted that people higher (vs. lower) in approach relationship goals would be more likely to plan dates that are more ex…
Spicing up the relationship? The effects of relational boredom on shared activities
The goal of this study was to examine how people respond to relational boredom in the context of growth-enhancing (i.e., novel) and security-restorative (i.e., familiar) shared activities. In Study 1, people's prescriptive and descriptive beliefs for responding to relational boredom were assessed. Next, we developed a prime of relational boredom (Study 2a) and examined its effects on behavioral intentions for shared activities (Studies 2b and 3) …
A prototype analysis of relational boredom
Boredom has been described as a major obstacle to maintaining lasting love (Aron & Aron (1986). However, empirical research on this important challenge to relationship maintenance has been hampered by the lack of an agreed-upon definition of the construct. We tested the hypothesis that relational boredom is amenable to a prototype conceptualization. In study 1, participants provided prototypicality ratings for the features of relational boredom. …
Being Responsive and Self-Determined When it Comes to Sex
Couples experience greater satisfaction and desire when they are motivated to meet each other's sexual needs (sexual communal strength); however, doing so at the expense of one's own sexual needs (unmitigated sexual communion) can detract from satisfaction and desire. Self-determination theory suggests engaging in sex for pleasure and value (autonomous reasons) versus out of pressure and obligation (controlled reasons) may account for these diffe…
Growing desire or growing apart? Consequences of personal self-expansion for romantic passion
Romantic passion represents one of the most fragile and elusive elements of relationship quality but one that is increasingly valued and tied to relationship and individual well-being. We provide the first examination of whether experiencing personal self-expansion-positive self-change and personal growth without a romantic partner-is a critical predictor of passion. Previous research has almost exclusively examined the consequences of couples' s…
Responses to dissatisfaction in friendships and romantic relationships
According to interpersonal script models, people’s responses to relational events are shaped by the reaction they expect from a close other. We analyzed responses to dissatisfaction in close relationships from an interpersonal script perspective. Participants reported on how a close friend or romantic partner would react to their expressions of dissatisfaction (using the exit-voice-loyalty-neglect typology). They were also asked to forecast wheth…
Perceptions of locus of control and satisfaction in friendships
When asked about their perceptions of close others, individuals project their own feelings, attitudes, and relationship views onto these individuals. These perceptions may or may not be accurate but should influence relationship judgments. We found that women's perceptions of their same-sex friend's external locus of control predicted higher reports of own and perceptions of the friend's use of destructive problem-solving behaviors. Perceived fri…
Dialing up desire and dampening disinterest
Romantic partners often regulate their emotions and affection to achieve certain goals, but research has yet to explore how partners regulate their expression of sexual desire during sex and its implications for couples' well-being. In two multi-part dyadic diary studies of primarily mixed-gender couples in longer-term relationships residing in North America, we examined three questions. First, is amplifying desire and suppressing disinterest dur…
The experience of emotion in close relationships
We propose that the study of emotion in close relationships may be advanced through an integration of the emotion-in-relationships model (ERM) with interpersonal script models. In two studies, we tested the hypothesis that people experience emotion when expected patterns of relating are disrupted. We also predicted that the kinds of events that are perceived as disruptive, and the concomitant emotional response, would depend on the relationship c…
Perceptions of locus of control and satisfaction in friendships
When asked about their perceptions of close others, individuals project their own feelings, attitudes, and relationship views onto these individuals. These perceptions may or may not be accurate but should influence relationship judgments. We found that women's perceptions of their same-sex friend's external locus of control predicted higher reports of own and perceptions of the friend's use of destructive problem-solving behaviors. Perceived fri…
Rethinking Friendship
Development of a prototype‐based measure of relational boredom
The goal of this research was to create a self‐report measure of relational boredom using a prototype approach. In the first study, 2 samples (participants in dating relationships and in marital relationships) generated features of the concept of relational boredom. In Study 2, these features were rated for prototypicality by 2 samples (dating and married). A Relational Boredom Scale was constructed by selecting those features (items) that were r…
A prototype analysis of relational boredom
Boredom has been described as a major obstacle to maintaining lasting love (Aron & Aron (1986). However, empirical research on this important challenge to relationship maintenance has been hampered by the lack of an agreed-upon definition of the construct. We tested the hypothesis that relational boredom is amenable to a prototype conceptualization. In study 1, participants provided prototypicality ratings for the features of relational boredom. …
Compassionate love in romantic relationships
Compassionate love has been identified as one of the major types of love experienced in relationships (Berscheid, 2010), but one that has been overshadowed by the study of romantic love. In this article, we review research on compassionate love, a relative newcomer to the close relationships field, and present findings that more fully flesh-out the nature of the experience of this kind of love. We begin by discussing conceptions and measurement o…
A prototype matching model of satisfaction in same‐sex friendships
The hypothesis that people experience greater friendship satisfaction when their friendship matches the prototype of intimacy interactions was tested. Consistent with this hypothesis, both women and men reported the greatest satisfaction when their “real‐world” friendship matched the prototype of intimacy interactions. This relation was even stronger when the friendship matched prototypical intimacy interaction patterns (e.g., self‐disclosure) th…
Spicing up the relationship? The effects of relational boredom on shared activities
The goal of this study was to examine how people respond to relational boredom in the context of growth-enhancing (i.e., novel) and security-restorative (i.e., familiar) shared activities. In Study 1, people's prescriptive and descriptive beliefs for responding to relational boredom were assessed. Next, we developed a prime of relational boredom (Study 2a) and examined its effects on behavioral intentions for shared activities (Studies 2b and 3) …
Responses to dissatisfaction in friendships and romantic relationships
According to interpersonal script models, people’s responses to relational events are shaped by the reaction they expect from a close other. We analyzed responses to dissatisfaction in close relationships from an interpersonal script perspective. Participants reported on how a close friend or romantic partner would react to their expressions of dissatisfaction (using the exit-voice-loyalty-neglect typology). They were also asked to forecast wheth…
Broadening your horizons
In the early stages of romantic relationships, sexual desire is often intense, but over time, as partners get to know each other, desire tends to decline. Low sexual desire has negative implications for relationship satisfaction and maintenance. Self-expansion theory suggests that engaging in novel activities with a long-term romantic partner can reignite feelings of passion from the early stages of a relationship. Across 3 studies using dyadic, …
Giving in the bedroom
A common reason why people in ongoing romantic relationships report engaging in sex with their partner-in addition to pursuing their own pleasure-is to meet their partner's sexual needs. While meeting a partner's needs with responsiveness and care is crucial in romantic relationships, it is important, especially in the domain of sexuality, that people do not neglect their own needs when meeting the needs of their partner. In a 21-day daily experi…
Machine learning uncovers the most robust self-report predictors of relationship quality across 43 longitudinal couples studies
Significance What predicts how happy people are with their romantic relationships? Relationship science—an interdisciplinary field spanning psychology, sociology, economics, family studies, and communication—has identified hundreds of variables that purportedly shape romantic relationship quality. The current project used machine learning to directly quantify and compare the predictive power of many such variables among 11,196 romantic couples. P…
Broadening your horizon one day at a time
Self-expansion in intimate relationships (i.e., broadening one's perspective through engaging in novel, exciting activities with a partner) has been associated with relationship benefits. The goal of this study was to propose a motivational model of self-expansion to understand what prompts people to engage in self-expanding activities in their relationship on a daily basis. We hypothesized that when people report stronger daily approach relation…
Are Couples More Satisfied When They Match in Sexual Desire? New Insights From Response Surface Analyses
While sexual frequency and satisfaction are strong contributors to the quality and longevity of romantic relationships and overall well-being, mismatches in sexual desire between partners are common and have been linked with poorer satisfaction. Previous findings linking mismatches in desire with poorer relationship and sexual outcomes have typically been derived using difference scores, an approach that does not account for partners’ overall lev…
Worn out relationship? The role of expectations in judgments of relational boredom
This study examined the role of growth and security expectations in shaping people's judgments of relational boredom and conflict (for discriminant validity). In Studies 1 and 2, the type of expectation gaps (growth vs. security) in hypothetical relationships (as well as the occurrence of a gap in Study 2) was manipulated, and people's judgments of relational boredom and conflict were assessed; Study 3 assessed these associations in people's own …
Growing desire or growing apart? Consequences of personal self-expansion for romantic passion
Romantic passion represents one of the most fragile and elusive elements of relationship quality but one that is increasingly valued and tied to relationship and individual well-being. We provide the first examination of whether experiencing personal self-expansion-positive self-change and personal growth without a romantic partner-is a critical predictor of passion. Previous research has almost exclusively examined the consequences of couples' s…
Planning date nights that promote closeness
Spending time with a romantic partner by going on dates is important for promoting closeness in established relationships; however, not all date nights are created equally, and some people might be more adept at planning dates that promote closeness. Drawing from the self-expansion model and relationship goals literature, we predicted that people higher (vs. lower) in approach relationship goals would be more likely to plan dates that are more ex…
Relational boredom as an obstacle for engaging in exciting shared activities
Although engaging in exciting, shared activities with a partner is one strategy for warding off relational boredom, people might be less likely to pursue these activities when they are bored, which could have implications for the maintenance of passion in romantic relationships. In the current study, we assessed couple members' ( N = 122 couples) daily experiences of relational boredom, the occurrence and quality of exciting, shared activities, a…
Conceptions and the experience of friendship in underrepresented groups
The authors reviewed the literature on the meaning and experience of friendship for members of underrepresented groups (sexual orientation and gender diversity, race and ethnicity). It is argued that many of the variables that contribute to friendship formation among mainstream groups (found in past research) also apply to underrepresented groups (e.g., environments that bring people into contact with one another, homophily). There also are commo…
Being Responsive and Self-Determined When it Comes to Sex
Couples experience greater satisfaction and desire when they are motivated to meet each other's sexual needs (sexual communal strength); however, doing so at the expense of one's own sexual needs (unmitigated sexual communion) can detract from satisfaction and desire. Self-determination theory suggests engaging in sex for pleasure and value (autonomous reasons) versus out of pressure and obligation (controlled reasons) may account for these diffe…
Dialing up desire and dampening disinterest
Romantic partners often regulate their emotions and affection to achieve certain goals, but research has yet to explore how partners regulate their expression of sexual desire during sex and its implications for couples' well-being. In two multi-part dyadic diary studies of primarily mixed-gender couples in longer-term relationships residing in North America, we examined three questions. First, is amplifying desire and suppressing disinterest dur…
Barriers to Participating in Self-Expanding Relationship Activities and the Role of Growth and Destiny Beliefs
New and exciting activities with a partner have been linked to a variety of benefits for intimate relationships; however, less is known about what hinders these activities. The goal of the present research was to examine the barriers that people face when planning shared new and exciting (i.e., self-expanding) relationship activities with their intimate partner and whether some people have traits (i.e., destiny and growth beliefs) that promote pe…
Interpersonal Playfulness as a Protective Factor Against Loneliness and Boredom in Single People Living Alone during the Covid-19 Lockdown
The COVID-19 pandemic added challenges to most people’s lives, while lockdown measures curtailed many coping mechanisms. Playfulness, a dispositional tendency toward engaging in amusing and entertaining behavior, was examined as a protective factor. We gathered open-ended responses and quantitative data over six weeks (once weekly) from a sample of single people living alone to evaluate the occurrence of interpersonal playful behaviors and the as…
Perceived distress and relational boredom during the Covid-19 pandemic
Buffering the Sting of Sexual Rejection to Promote Relationship Connection
Experiencing rejection from a romantic partner can be painful, and sexual rejection may have a lasting impact on satisfaction. However, some ways of communicating sexual rejection may elicit more constructive responses from the rejected partner, fostering continued connection in the face of rejection. Across three studies-a cross-sectional study of individuals in romantic relationships (Study 1; N = 315) and two dyadic daily diary studies (Studie…
Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (24 works) · Psychology (24 works) · Social Psychology (23 works) · Developmental psychology (16 works) · Romance (13 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Behavioral Health and Interventions (7 works) · Boredom (7 works) · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior (7 works) · Mind wandering and attention (7 works)