Emily Impett
Biographic Data
| ID | 757394 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Emily Impett |
| GIVEN NAMES | Emily |
| FAMILY NAME | Impett |
| SIGNATURE | IMPETT E |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Toronto |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3348-7524 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 135 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 890 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 135 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 17 |
Parenting Self-Expansion
Parenthood is a transformative and fulfilling journey, yet research often emphasizes its hardships over its potential for growth. We introduce parenting self-expansion—novel experiences with one’s child that broaden and are incorporated into a parent’s sense of self. In Study 1, first-time parents ( N = 430) completed four surveys across their postpartum year. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed six themes of self-expansion: child curiosity/deve…
“Pay Me Back”
Past research on intimate relationships suggests that exchange orientation—the tendency to expect direct reciprocation when providing a benefit—predicts lower relationship well-being. However, limited research has examined the long-term associations of this link or the effects of partner similarity in exchange orientation. The present research addressed this gap by employing a set of rigorous analyses on longitudinal data spanning 13 years from a…
“It’s Hard to Shake God’s Hand”
Gratitude is often considered a response to kind acts from others, but growing research suggests it is frequently directed toward God. This study explored how gratitude toward God differs from gratitude toward people. Since God is perceived as all-powerful and not directly benefiting from reciprocation, we hypothesized that individuals would focus less on repaying God and more on paying it forward. We tested this through three studies: a cross-se…
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…
With a Little Help From My Friends
Despite their growing prevalence, intercultural couples continue to experience social disapproval and discrimination from their social networks. In this study ( N = 757), we examined how social approval from different sources (i.e., family, friends, and society) predicts relationship quality and whether these effects vary by individual (i.e., cultural background and gender) and couple-level (i.e., cultural pairing and relationship length) charact…
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…
What It Means to Put Children First
Child-centrism is a commonly practiced parenting approach in which parents prioritize their children’s well-being over their own. Despite initial validation of a child-centrism scale among mothers—supporting its distinctiveness from other intensive parenting styles—research has yet to comprehensively examine child-centrism in fathers and identify motivations for engaging in and concrete manifestations of child-centrism. In this research, we provi…
Reading the Signals
Women Are Slightly More Sexually Satisfied in Their Romantic Relationships Than Men
Sexual Flourishing
Objective Expand the vision of high‐quality sexuality with a measure of sexual flourishing. Background Research has consistently shown that the quality of a couple's sexual relationship is an important part of their overall relationship, as sexual interactions are a fundamental part of intimacy. Moving beyond a focus on sexual satisfaction to focus on sexual flourishing, a richer, more holistic concept that includes growth, belonging, meaning, an…
On the Move
Partnered relocation—when couples move to support one partner’s career—is increasingly common and involves unique stressors and rewards. In a longitudinal study of 206 couples ( N = 383, 177 dyadic, 29 individual reports) surveyed 2-months pre-relocation and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months post-relocation, we examined how stressors and rewards change over time, comparing experiences of partners who initiate (relocators) versus support the move (accompa…
The Hidden Costs of Gratitude
Expressing gratitude often strengthens relationships, yet many people say “thank you” despite not feeling especially grateful. Although this may seem innocuous, are there hidden costs? We tested the effects of expressed, perceived, and accurate perceptions of gratitude amplification on romantic couples’ personal and relational well-being across four dyadic studies ( N couples = 639), including lab conversations (Studies 1a and 2a), naturalistical…
Love Lost in Translation
Empathic accuracy—the ability to decipher others’ thoughts and feelings—promotes relationship satisfaction. Those high in attachment avoidance tend to be less empathically accurate; however, past research has been limited to relatively negative or neutral contexts. We extend work on attachment and empathic accuracy to the positive context of love. To do so, we combined data from three dyadic studies ( N = 303 dyads) in which couple members shared…
Thank You for Changing
Romantic partners often attempt to improve their relationship by changing each other’s traits and behaviors, but such partner regulation is often unsuccessful. We examined whether gratitude expressed by agents (i.e., partners requesting change) facilitates greater regulation success from targets (i.e., partners making change) by encouraging targets’ autonomous motivation. Across studies, including observational (Study 1, N = 111 couples), preregi…
Turning Down, Tuning In
Sexual rejection is a challenging interpersonal experience in intimate relationships. The present research examined how mindfulness relates to the use of different sexual rejection strategies across three studies with complementary methodologies: cross-sectional (Study 1), experimental (Study 2) and longitudinal (Study 3). In Study 1 ( N = 383; 49.87% women and 48.83% men; M age = 39.25, SD = 11.97), greater trait mindfulness was associated with …
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…
Daily and Prospective Associations Between Responses to Sexual Rejection and Sexual Well-Being and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples Coping with Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder
Navigating cultural crossroads
Objective This study aims to explore the unique sacrifices intercultural couples make to reconcile their cultural differences. Background Partners in intercultural romantic relationships may be challenged to make sacrifices related to their cultural differences, termed cultural sacrifices . These sacrifices can act as catalysts for cultural change in families and society, yet there is a gap in our understanding of the types of cultural sacrifices…
The Impact of Sexual Consent on Sexual and Relationship Well-Being in Chinese Romantic Relationships
High-quality sexual relationships significantly contribute to the development and maintenance of romantic relationships, with effective sexual communication playing a crucial role. In particular, how partners communicate and feel about sexual consent is essential for sexual and relationship well-being. There is limited research on sexual consent within established romantic relationships, and existing findings are mixed. Our research addresses thi…
A worldwide test of the predictive validity of ideal partner preference matching
10,358) across 43 countries and 22 languages to estimate preference-matching effect sizes. The most rigorous tests revealed significant preference-matching effects in the whole sample and for partnered and single participants separately. The "corrected pattern metric" that collapses across 35 traits revealed a zero-order effect of β = .19 and an effect of β = .11 when included alongside a normative preference-matching metric. Specific traits in t…
Jealousy in interracial and same-race relationships
Interracial relationships have been on the rise and face unique relational challenges but are underrepresented in relationship science which has relied heavily on studies of same-race White couples. Existing research has shown that individuals in interracial relationships experience greater jealousy than those in same-race relationships, but these studies were underpowered or relied on binary measures of jealousy. In a large sample of individuals…
Feeling Appreciated Predicts Prosocial Motivation in Avoidantly Attached Individuals
Prosocial motivation is an important ingredient for satisfying relationships. However, individuals high in attachment avoidance—those who fear closeness and prefer independence—often display reduced prosocial motivation for their romantic partner. In two daily experience studies ( N total = 324), we examined whether feeling appreciated by a romantic partner would buffer this negative link. When avoidantly attached individuals felt highly apprecia…
Placing a child's or partner's needs above my own
Parent couples often struggle to maintain satisfying sex lives perhaps because partners have different priorities to balance including the self, their relationship with each other, and their relationships with their children. Given that parents are increasingly involved in supporting adult children, it is important to examine how prioritization of other's needs over one's own shapes a couple's sexual relationship. In a sample of 179 parent couple…
Extradyadic stress as a barrier to sexual activity in couples? A dyadic response surface analysis
Sexuality is integral to most romantic relationships. Through stress spillover, however, factors such as individually experienced stress outside of the relationship (i.e., extradyadic stress) can negatively impact sexuality. In this study, we explored how a possible (mis)matching of both partners' levels of extradyadic stress is related to sexual activity and tested for gender differences. Analyzing 316 mixed-gender couples from Switzerland, we e…
Through the cultural looking glass
Intercultural romantic relationships are increasingly common. While past work has focused on how satisfied intercultural couples are compared to monocultural couples, we focus on factors within intercultural relationships that predict partners' relationship quality. We propose that diversity ideologies-people's beliefs about cultural diversity-are one set of factors that influence communication about cultural differences and relationship quality.…
What Do You Do When Things Go Right? The Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Benefits of Sharing Positive Events
Four studies examined the intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences of seeking out others when good things happen (i.e., capitalization). Two studies showed that communicating personal positive events with others was associated with increased daily positive affect and well-being, above and beyond the impact of the positive event itself and other daily events. Moreover, when others were perceived to respond actively and constructively (and not …
Giving up and giving in
This research provided the first empirical investigation of how approach and avoidance motives for sacrifice in intimate relationships are associated with personal well-being and relationship quality. In Study 1, the nature of everyday sacrifices made by dating partners was examined, and a measure of approach and avoidance motives for sacrifice was developed. In Study 2, which was a 2-week daily experience study of college students in dating rela…
Why Some Women Consent to Unwanted Sex With a Dating Partner
Several studies have shown that many college women engage in unwanted sexual activity with a dating partner. However, little research has examined the differences between women who comply with requests for unwanted sexual activity and women who do not. This study utilized an attachment theory framework to investigate individual differences in women's compliant sexual behavior. An ethnically diverse sample of 125 college women who had consented to…
Sexual compliance
This paper provides a systematic review of research on sexual compliance in heterosexual relationships. Three perspectives shed light on which individuals are the most likely to comply with a sexually interested partner's desire for sex and why. A gender perspective highlights the common male-female asymmetry in compliant sexual behavior and identifies factors that contribute to women's greater likelihood of being the sexually compliant partner. …
Settling for less out of fear of being single
The present research demonstrates that fear of being single predicts settling for less in romantic relationships, even accounting for constructs typically examined in relationship research such as anxious attachment. Study 1 explored the content of people's thoughts about being single. Studies 2A and 2B involved the development and validation of the Fear of Being Single Scale. Study 2C provided preliminary support for the hypothesis that fear of …
Maintaining sexual desire in intimate relationships
Three studies tested whether adopting strong (relative to weak) approach goals in relationships (i.e., goals focused on the pursuit of positive experiences in one's relationship such as fun, growth, and development) predict greater sexual desire. Study 1 was a 6-month longitudinal study with biweekly assessments of sexual desire. Studies 2 and 3 were 2-week daily experience studies with daily assessments of sexual desire. Results showed that appr…
To have and to hold
This multimethod series of studies merges the literatures on gratitude and risk regulation to test a new process model of gratitude and relationship maintenance. We develop a measure of appreciation in relationships and use cross-sectional, daily experience, observational, and longitudinal methods to test our model. Across studies, we show that people who feel more appreciated by their romantic partners report being more appreciative of their par…
Late Adolescent Girls’ Sexual Experiences and Sexual Satisfaction
This study presented and tested a model of sexual satisfaction for late adolescent girls. In this model, sexual self-concept and approach sexual motives were tested as predictors of adolescent girls’ sexual satisfaction with their most recent experience of sexual intercourse. A total of 116 girls in 12th grade (ages 16-19) completed measures of sexual self-concept and sexual experiences. A smaller number of girls (n = 70) with intercourse experie…
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…
Looking Good, Sounding Good
This study used a feminist psychodynamic developmental framework to test the hypothesis that internalizing conventional femininity ideologies in two domains—inauthenticity in relationships and body objectification—is associated with early adolescent girls' mental health. One hundred forty-eight eighth-grade girls completed measures of femininity ideology, self-esteem, depression, and demographic characteristics. In the first part of this study, w…
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, …
To Be Seen and Not Heard
Moving toward more perfect unions
In 2 daily experience studies and a laboratory study, the authors test predictions from approach-avoidance motivational theory to understand how dating couples can maintain feelings of relationship satisfaction in their daily lives and over the course of time. Approach goals were associated with increased relationship satisfaction on a daily basis and over time, particularly when both partners were high in approach goals. Avoidance goals were ass…
Girls' relationship authenticity and self-esteem across adolescence
Feminist psychologists have long posited that relationship authenticity (i.e., the congruence between what one thinks and feels and what one does and says in relational contexts) is integral to self-esteem and well-being. Guided by a feminist developmental framework, the authors investigated the role of relationship authenticity in promoting girls' self-esteem over the course of adolescence. Latent growth curve modeling was used to test the assoc…
Post Sex Affectionate Exchanges Promote Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction
Sexual need fulfillment and satisfaction in consensually nonmonogamous relationships
Consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships allow individuals to fulfill their sexual needs with multiple partners, but research has yet to investigate how having one's sexual needs met in one relationship is associated with satisfaction in another relationship. We draw on models of need fulfillment in CNM relationships and theories of sexual communal motivation to test how sexual need fulfillment in one relationship is associated with satisfa…
Lesbians in Love
Lesbians often begin romantic relationships with high hopes that their relationships will be satisfying and long-lasting. Why do some women maintain committed and stable relationships while others do not? This article considers factors that affect commitment and stability among lesbian couples. We begin by reviewing previous empirical research on the topic. Next, we test a leading model of commitment using survey data from 301 lesbian couples who…
How implicit theories of sexuality shape sexual and relationship well-being
How do people believe they can best maintain sexual satisfaction in their romantic relationships? In the current research, we draw upon the literature on implicit theories of relationships to develop and validate a scale examining 2 types of lay beliefs about how sexual satisfaction can be maintained over time. Individuals high in sexual growth beliefs think that sexual satisfaction is attained from hard work and effort, whereas individuals high …
Not in the mood? Men under- (not over-) perceive their partner’s sexual desire in established intimate relationships
Men's sexual overperception bias-where men tend to perceive greater sexual interest in women's behavior than actually exists-is a well-documented finding in previous research. All of the existing research, however, has tested this effect in the context of initial encounters or for fictitious or unknown targets. No research currently exists on how people perceive their romantic partner's sexual desire in the context of ongoing, intimate relationsh…
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…
The relationship implications of rejecting a partner for sex kindly versus having sex reluctantly
Romantic partners often have differing levels of sexual interest. In these situations, lower desire partners may engage in sex for avoidance goals (e.g., to avoid disappointing their partner), which are associated with negative relational outcomes. An alternative strategy to sustain relationship quality may be to decline a partner's sexual advances in positive ways. In two experimental studies and a dyadic daily experience study with a longitudin…
The predictive effects of fear of being single on physical attractiveness and less selective partner selection strategies
Fear of being single (FOBS) tends to predict settling for less when seeking a romantic partner. The present research sought to examine whether this is due, at least in part, to lower physical attractiveness among those who fear being single. In a photo-rating study (Study 1, N = 122) and a speed-dating study (Study 2, N = 171), participants completed the FOBS Scale, rated perceptions of their own physical attractiveness, and were then rated on ph…
What Theories and Methods From Relationship Research Can Contribute to Sex Research
Sexual and relationship satisfaction tend to be closely linked in the context of romantic relationships. Understanding how sexual processes influence relationships and how aspects of the relationship influence a couple's sex life can provide insight into the maintenance of sexual desire and satisfaction over time. In this article, we review how theories and methods that form the foundation for relationship research have made-and will continue to …
Shifting priorities
We investigated whether partners in newly developing romantic relationships adjust their goals when they experience conflict with the goals of their partner, and the consequences of goal conflict and goal adjustment. Fifty-nine newly dating couples ( N = 118) reported on their goals at an initial session and again 3 months later. Multilevel models indicated that when people reported higher conflict between a goal and their partner's goals, they w…
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…
Lesbians in Love
Lesbians often begin romantic relationships with high hopes that their relationships will be satisfying and long-lasting. Why do some women maintain committed and stable relationships while others do not? This article considers factors that affect commitment and stability among lesbian couples. We begin by reviewing previous empirical research on the topic. Next, we test a leading model of commitment using survey data from 301 lesbian couples who…
Why Some Women Consent to Unwanted Sex With a Dating Partner
Several studies have shown that many college women engage in unwanted sexual activity with a dating partner. However, little research has examined the differences between women who comply with requests for unwanted sexual activity and women who do not. This study utilized an attachment theory framework to investigate individual differences in women's compliant sexual behavior. An ethnically diverse sample of 125 college women who had consented to…
Sexual compliance
This paper provides a systematic review of research on sexual compliance in heterosexual relationships. Three perspectives shed light on which individuals are the most likely to comply with a sexually interested partner's desire for sex and why. A gender perspective highlights the common male-female asymmetry in compliant sexual behavior and identifies factors that contribute to women's greater likelihood of being the sexually compliant partner. …
What Do You Do When Things Go Right? The Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Benefits of Sharing Positive Events
Four studies examined the intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences of seeking out others when good things happen (i.e., capitalization). Two studies showed that communicating personal positive events with others was associated with increased daily positive affect and well-being, above and beyond the impact of the positive event itself and other daily events. Moreover, when others were perceived to respond actively and constructively (and not …
Approach and avoidance sexual motives
This research provides the first empirical investigation of how approach and avoidance motives for engaging in sex in intimate relationships are associated with personal well-being and relationship quality. A 2-week daily experience study of college student dating couples tested specific predictions from the theoretical model and included both longitudinal and dyadic components. Whereas approach sex motives were positively associated with persona…
There is more to the story
Special Reviewers
Giving up and giving in
This research provided the first empirical investigation of how approach and avoidance motives for sacrifice in intimate relationships are associated with personal well-being and relationship quality. In Study 1, the nature of everyday sacrifices made by dating partners was examined, and a measure of approach and avoidance motives for sacrifice was developed. In Study 2, which was a 2-week daily experience study of college students in dating rela…
Minding the body
Dis/Embodied Voices
Late Adolescent Girls’ Sexual Experiences and Sexual Satisfaction
This study presented and tested a model of sexual satisfaction for late adolescent girls. In this model, sexual self-concept and approach sexual motives were tested as predictors of adolescent girls’ sexual satisfaction with their most recent experience of sexual intercourse. A total of 116 girls in 12th grade (ages 16-19) completed measures of sexual self-concept and sexual experiences. A smaller number of girls (n = 70) with intercourse experie…
Looking Good, Sounding Good
This study used a feminist psychodynamic developmental framework to test the hypothesis that internalizing conventional femininity ideologies in two domains—inauthenticity in relationships and body objectification—is associated with early adolescent girls' mental health. One hundred forty-eight eighth-grade girls completed measures of femininity ideology, self-esteem, depression, and demographic characteristics. In the first part of this study, w…
To Be Seen and Not Heard
Attachment and daily sexual goals
This research provides the first empirical investigation of how both partners’ attachment orientations contribute to daily sexual goals. Both members of 84 dating couples who attended a large urban university on the West Coast in the United States completed a measure of attachment orientation, and 1 member completed a measure of sexual goals for 14 consecutive days. Analyses showed that attachment anxiety was associated with engaging in sex to pl…
Girls' relationship authenticity and self-esteem across adolescence
Feminist psychologists have long posited that relationship authenticity (i.e., the congruence between what one thinks and feels and what one does and says in relational contexts) is integral to self-esteem and well-being. Guided by a feminist developmental framework, the authors investigated the role of relationship authenticity in promoting girls' self-esteem over the course of adolescence. Latent growth curve modeling was used to test the assoc…
Maintaining sexual desire in intimate relationships
Three studies tested whether adopting strong (relative to weak) approach goals in relationships (i.e., goals focused on the pursuit of positive experiences in one's relationship such as fun, growth, and development) predict greater sexual desire. Study 1 was a 6-month longitudinal study with biweekly assessments of sexual desire. Studies 2 and 3 were 2-week daily experience studies with daily assessments of sexual desire. Results showed that appr…
Attachment Orientations and Daily Condom Use in Dating Relationships
This daily experience study examined the roles of attachment orientations and daily relationship satisfaction in shaping daily condom use among college students in dating relationships. Seventy-five participants completed an initial measure of attachment orientation and then reported their relationship satisfaction and condom use each day for 14 consecutive days. The results showed that attachment anxiety was associated with less frequent use of …
Why do people sacrifice to approach rewards versus to avoid costs? Insights from attachment theory
This research provides the first empirical investigation of how attachment orientations contribute to approach and avoidance goals for engaging in sacrifice. Study 1 is a cross-sectional study of individuals in dating relationships, and Study 2 is a 14-day daily experience study of dating couples. Results showed that attachment anxiety was associated with a greater frequency of sacrifice and more willingness to sacrifice for approach goals (parti…
Keeping it real
The role of relationship authenticity in shaping women's daily condom use was investigated. Forty-seven sexually active women in dating relationships completed a measure of relationship authenticity and then reported on their daily condom use and relationship events for 14 consecutive days. Inauthentic women were less likely than more authentic women to use condoms, particularly on days with frequent negative events such as major disagreements wi…
Moving toward more perfect unions
In 2 daily experience studies and a laboratory study, the authors test predictions from approach-avoidance motivational theory to understand how dating couples can maintain feelings of relationship satisfaction in their daily lives and over the course of time. Approach goals were associated with increased relationship satisfaction on a daily basis and over time, particularly when both partners were high in approach goals. Avoidance goals were ass…
Women’s Emotions During Interactions With Their Grown Children in Later Adulthood
Do women’s interactions with their grown children improve their emotional lives later in life? Women in their early 60s participated in a 7-day daily experience study of positive and negative events to examine how interactions with their grown children contribute to specific daily emotions as well as how individual differences in adult attachment moderate these effects. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that when they interacted with their ch…
Embodiment Feels Better
In a five-year longitudinal study, we investigated the role of body objectification in shaping girls' self-esteem and depressive symptoms over the course of adolescence. Multivariate Latent Growth Curve Modeling (MLGM) was used to test the association between body objectification and both self-esteem and depressive symptoms with data from 587 adolescent girls who began the study at age 13 and completed the study at age 18. Results revealed that b…
Pathways to Early Coital Debut for Adolescent Girls
This study examined pathways to early coital debut among early to middle adolescent girls in the United States. In a two-year longitudinal study of 104 adolescent girls, recursive partitioning (RP) analyses were conducted to examine the specific factors that were related to engaging in first intercourse by the 10th grade among adolescent girls who had not yet engaged in sexual intercourse by the 8th grade. RP analyses identified subsamples of gir…
Suppression Sours Sacrifice
What happens when people suppress their emotions when they sacrifice for a romantic partner? This multimethod study investigates how suppressing emotions during sacrifice shapes affective and relationship outcomes. In Part 1, dating couples came into the laboratory to discuss important romantic relationship sacrifices. Suppressing emotions was associated with emotional costs for the partner discussing his or her sacrifice. In Part 2, couples part…
To have and to hold
This multimethod series of studies merges the literatures on gratitude and risk regulation to test a new process model of gratitude and relationship maintenance. We develop a measure of appreciation in relationships and use cross-sectional, daily experience, observational, and longitudinal methods to test our model. Across studies, we show that people who feel more appreciated by their romantic partners report being more appreciative of their par…
Psychology (123 works) · Social Psychology (112 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (103 works) · Developmental psychology (90 works) · Romance (51 works) · Social Psychology (41 works) · Human sexuality (38 works) · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior (32 works) · Gender Studies (29 works) · Sexual behavior (29 works)