Love Research Articles

Alone but flowing: The effects of autotelic personality and extraversion on solitary flow.

Flow, a psychological state of intense engagement in and enjoyment of an activity, can arise during both solitary and socially interactive experiences. In the literature, whereas people high in extraversion have difficulty achieving flow in solitude, those with an autotelic personality-a combination of traits that make people prone to flow-readily experience flow in both solitary and interactive conditions. In this pre-registered experiment, we investigated whether autotelic personality mitigates the negative association between solitary flow and extraversion. Participants and their romantic partners (final N = 368) played the game Perfection™ in three conditions (order was counterbalanced): alone (solitary condition), in the presence of their partner without interaction (mere-presence condition), and collaboratively (interactive condition). There were independent, positive main effects of extraversion and autotelic personality on flow experience in mere-presence and interactive conditions. However, the positive effect of extraversion on solitary flow was only significant among participants with high (vs. low) autotelic personality. In all conditions, flow experience was associated with greater low-arousal positive affect and lesser high-arousal negative affect. The findings shed light on the role of personality in promoting solitary flow experiences, and particularly how traits might interact to determine optimal and non-optimal conditions for achieving flow.

Predictors of male loneliness across life stages: an Australian study of longitudinal data

BackgroundDespite growing recognition of loneliness as a global public health concern, research on its occurrence and precipitants among men across different life stages remains limited and inconclusive. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the prevalence and predictors of loneliness among a large, representative data set of Australian adult men.MethodsThe study used longitudinal data from waves 2–21 of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, including men aged 15–98. Estimating linear fixed effects regressions that account for unobserved time-invariant individual heterogeneity, a single-item measure of loneliness was regressed on a set of selected explanatory variables over different parts of the life course.ResultsIncreased social isolation, romantic partnership dissolution, having a long-term disability, and stronger beliefs that the man, rather than the woman, should be the breadwinner of the household, are associated with greater loneliness. Frequent social connection, having a romantic partner, and high neighbourhood satisfaction are protective against loneliness. The findings also reveal several differences in the predictors of loneliness over the life course. Job security is especially important for younger men, whereas for older men volunteering and less conservative gender role attitudes are important factors that can decrease loneliness.ConclusionsThe results emphasise the need to consider age-specific factors and societal expectations in understanding and addressing loneliness amongst men. Additionally, the findings underscore the importance of raising awareness about the impact of societal norms and expectations on men's mental health. The results offer valuable insights for policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers to develop effective strategies and support systems to combat loneliness and promote well-being among men.

Mate value discrepancies and mate retention behaviors: A cubic response surface analysis

AbstractThis study used cubic polynomial regression with response surface analysis to examine the associations that mate value discrepancies (i.e., the difference between an individual's self‐reported mate value and their perceptions of their partner's mate value) had with mate retention behaviors performed by the individual and their perceptions of the mate retention behaviors performed by their partner. The sample included 1083 undergraduates, and the results revealed a congruence effect such that participants who perceived themselves and their romantic partners to have similarly low levels of mate value reported high levels of cost‐inflicting behaviors by themselves and their partners. There was also a curvilinear association that emerged for mate value discrepancies such that individuals who perceived themselves to have higher levels of mate value than their partners reported higher levels of cost‐inflicting behaviors by themselves and their romantic partners. These results demonstrate how cubic response surface analysis can allow for a better understanding of the connections that mate value discrepancies have with outcomes in romantic relationships.

Relationship Quality Among Persons with Serious Mental Illness and Their Relatives: Rates and Correlates.

Supportive family relationships for persons with serious mental illness (SMI) are correlated with positive functional, health and mental health outcomes and are essential to the recovery process. However, there has been a dearth of research on positive family dynamics. Using multivariate logistic regression with a U.S. community-recruited sample of persons with SMI (N = 523), we examined the extent to which demographics, clinical characteristics, and supportive and problematic relationship interactions were associated with relationship quality with reference relatives (RR). Secondarily, we tested whether the relationship between routine limit-setting practices by RR toward participants and relationship quality was significantly mediated by perceived emotional overinvolvement using Baron and Kenny's four step method. High levels of relationship quality were reported by two-thirds of the sample. Relationship quality was positively associated with frequency of contact between participants and RR, participants helping RR with activities of daily living, and caregiving provided by RR to participants. High relationship quality was negatively associated with RR being parents or other family members (compared to romantic partners), perceived emotional overinvolvement of RR, and psychological abuse by RR toward participants. Clinical and demographic characteristics were not associated with relationship quality. Perceived emotional overinvolvement was found to be a mediator between routine limit-setting practices and relationship quality. These results can help direct clinicians in targeting factors that will likely enhance the process of recovery.

Increases in Awareness and Uptake of Dating Apps’ Sexual Health Features Among US Men Who Have Sex with Men, 2018 to 2021

Dating apps are now used by the majority of MSM to meet sexual and romantic partners. While research has demonstrated an association between app use and greater number of sex partners and STIs, dating apps also pose an opportunity for intervention. By advocating for new and improved sexual health features on dating apps, Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) aims to increase communication about sexual health on the apps. As a follow-up to our previous paper assessing the uptake of sexual health-related profile options on dating apps through Emory’s annual survey of 10,000 MSM in the US, BHOC and Emory partnered to explore the change in uptake over time, again through their annual survey. Among survey participants in 2021, 85% reported using dating apps to meet a partner in the past year, and among this group, 93% reported awareness of sexual health features, up from 77% in 2018 (p < 0.0001). 71% of app users who were aware of features in 2021 reported using one or more sexual health feature, up from 61% in 2018 (p < 0.0001). BHOC will continue to advocate for increased uptake of these features, especially among subgroups with lower levels of uptake.

Planned Behavior in the Use of Dating Apps by Women in Korea

While South Koreans tend to quickly adopt new technologies, such as mobile apps, without facing technological difficulties, this population uses dating apps at a relatively low rate compared with Western countries. The current study employes the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine psychological factors, as opposed to technological factors, to explain why South Koreans—particularly female young adults—rarely use dating apps to find potential romantic partners. Participants were 309 women who completed an online survey assessing their attitudes toward dating apps, subjective norms regarding dating apps, and perceived risks. As for behavioral control, factors of the original TPB were collected, and the relationships among these factors were analyzed. The results indicated that the initially suggested model did not show an acceptable fit of the data. Among the three factors, attitude towards dating apps was the most important in predicting intention, while actual usage of the apps negatively affected future intentions. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Partner symptom accommodation in generalized anxiety disorder: a preliminary examination of correlates with symptoms and cognitive behavioural therapy outcome.

Symptom accommodation is suggested to maintain anxiety pathology and interfere with treatment effectiveness for anxiety and related disorders. However, little is known about symptom accommodation in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This study investigated the associations between romantic partner symptom accommodation, GAD symptoms, intolerance of uncertainty (IU), relationship satisfaction, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) outcomes from the perspective of the person with GAD. One hundred and twelve people with GAD participated in group CBT and completed measures at pre- and post-treatment. All participants endorsed that their partner engaged in symptom accommodation to some extent, and the most commonly endorsed type was providing reassurance. Greater self-reported partner symptom accommodation was associated with greater GAD symptoms, chronic worry severity, IU, and relationship satisfaction at baseline. Partner symptom accommodation was found to significantly decrease over treatment; however, less improvement in symptom accommodation from pre- to post-treatment was associated with worse treatment outcomes. This study is the first to show that partner symptom accommodation is prevalent in adults with GAD and to elucidate the presentation and frequency of behaviours. The findings provide preliminary evidence that targeting partner symptom accommodation in treatment may improve CBT outcomes.

Patterns of Sexting by Youths: A Latent Class Analysis

Sexting (exchanging sexual correspondence in the online space) is considered a practice that expresses sexuality in the online space. Between adolescents, sexting can be part of a couple relationship or outside of it, and can be voluntary or coercive. Regardless of motives, sexting has been linked to various negative outcomes. Understanding the factors that influence sexting behavior is essential for developing effective prevention and intervention programs. The present study aimed to identify and compare different profiles of sexting behavior in adolescents using latent class analysis. Participants were 487 Israeli adolescents aged 14-19 (male N = 215, 44%, female N = 272, 56%) years who completed an online survey of demographic factors, online parental mediation, family and friend cohesion, and perception of sexting norms. Two distinct classes of individuals were identified: those who engage in sexting (“sexters”) and those who do not (“non-sexters”). Sexters were more likely to be secular, and without a romantic partner. These findings may inform interventions aimed at preventing negative outcomes associated with adolescent sexting.

Queer representation in children’s books beyond two moms or two dads

PurposeThis article aims to help educators provide a holistic view of the LGBTQ community by highlighting children’s books that include non-parental LGBTQ characters.Design/methodology/approachThe author selected over 80 children’s books honored by the American Library Association’s Rainbow Book List. Twenty-two books were analyzed that contain examples of LGBTQ adults existing beyond the homonormative nuclear family, e.g. two same-sex parents raising children.FindingsThe author discusses various ways of living represented in these books, such as chosen families, extended families, romantic partnerships and singlehood.Originality/valueWith the increased number of high-quality LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books published in the past decade, this study provides the foundation for educators to select various texts that reveal diverse representations of LGBTQ individuals.

Emotion differentiation and intimate partner violence: Effects of provocation and alcohol intoxication.

This study investigated the impact of relational provocation on intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration as a function of alcohol intoxication and individuals' emotion differentiation (ED; i.e., the ability to differentiate between positive and negative emotions). We hypothesized that provocation and acute intoxication would be associated with lower ED, such that individuals would demonstrate lower ED following provocation and while intoxicated. We also hypothesized an intoxication-by-ED interaction, such that only individuals who were intoxicated and undifferentiated would perpetrate IPV. Two hundred fifty community-based adults completed an aggression paradigm ostensibly with their romantic partners where they were randomly assigned to an alcohol or no-alcohol condition. Participants' ED across positive and negative subscales was calculated at baseline (Time 1), postprovocation and intoxication (Time 2), and postbehavioral aggression (Time 3). IPV was operationalized as the strength and duration of shocks issued to their partner during the aggression paradigm. Both sober and intoxicated participants experienced lower ED following provocation, suggesting a main effect of provocation but no main effect of intoxication. There was a significant alcohol-by-ED interaction in the predicted direction. For intoxicated participants, low ED was associated with greater IPV perpetration. For sober participants, low ED was associated with less IPV perpetration. Consistent with hypotheses, low ED is associated with greater IPV perpetration among intoxicated individuals. In contrast to prior research, low ED was associated with less IPV perpetration among sober individuals. Alcohol-related cognitive impairments may increase the likelihood of IPV perpetration by disrupting the ED process that may otherwise inhibit impulsive aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

"We Are the Authors of Our Relationship": Queering Love Languages in LGBTQ+ Students' Intimate Relationships

Abstract: This qualitative study examined the experiences of 14 LGBTQ+ college students in healthy intimate relationships with a focus on the ways that romantic partners give and receive affection. Framed through a consideration of love languages , this study challenges and extends what have become socially normative strategies for demonstrating affection.

Love better by fighting smarter: How intercultural couples develop dyadic cultural affinity through romantic conflict management

Guided by the conflict face-negotiation theory and the culturally based romantic relationship model, this study employed in-depth interviews with twelve intercultural couples (n = 24) to explore relational dynamics and nuances of couples handling conflicts and developing dyadic cultural affinity through their conflict management experiences. Aligning with extant literature, our findings uncovered five conflict management styles employed by intercultural couples: avoiding, competing, compromising, yielding, and emotional expression. Additionally, three primary relational outcomes emerged from the data: reaching temporary satisfaction, recognizing positive changes, and identifying recurrent problems. The findings further demonstrated how intercultural romantic partners developed dyadic cultural affinity by progressively gaining deeper mutual understanding through their conflict interactions, building consensus, and consequently nurturing a shared sense of cultural affinity as a couple. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Reality Therapy Effect on Alexithymia and Posttraumatic Growth in Women With Love Failure

Background: Losing a love relationship in youth creates one of the most significant impacts that may occur for women, as they have been introduced to love trauma syndrome for the first time. This research study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of reality therapy in decreasing alexithymia and increasing posttraumatic growth among women who have experienced a love failure. Methods: This study was quasi-experimental research using a pre-test-post-test design with a follow-up. The statistical population comprised all women with emotional failure experiences referred to Aramandish and Chaman clinics in Tehran City, Iran, during 2021 and 2022. A purposive sampling method was used to select the samples. Thirty people were chosen as the study sample; 15 women were put in the experimental (reality therapy) group and 15 in the control group. The reality therapy intervention plan was applied to the experimental group in eight 90-minute sessions once a week, while the control group did not receive any intervention. The Toronto alexithymia scale and posttraumatic growth inventory were implemented before and after intervention sessions. Finally, the data were analyzed for variance analysis with repeated measurements and analysis of covariance using SPSS software, version 26. Results: The findings showed that after comparing the post-test and follow-up scores with the pre-test results, there is a significant difference between alexithymia (P&lt;0.001) and posttraumatic growth (P&lt;0.001). Likewise, a significant difference (P&lt;0.001) in the research variables was observed between the experimental and control groups in all three measurement times. Conclusion: The findings showed that reality therapy had a significant effect on alexithymia and posttraumatic growth of women with emotional failure. Therefore, reality therapy can be used for emotional failure syndromes.

Loneliness in Romantic Grief and its Relationship with Coping Strategies

One of the emotions most frequently experienced during romantic grief is loneliness, which is experienced due to an imbalance between the feelings of having had a love relationship and not having it anymore. However, the scales measuring this construct were mainly designed to measure loneliness in general and not within a romantic relationship. On the other hand, the cognitive and emotional experiences derived from loneliness can impact the coping strategies that the individual deploys during this process, so the objectives of this research were: 1) to adapt and validate the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale from DiTommaso &amp; Spinner (1993) to the context of romantic grief and 2) explore the relationship between loneliness and coping strategies in romantic grief. The results indicated obtaining a version of said scale with robust psychometric qualities and with characteristic factors in the context of romantic grief. Likewise, it was observed that, when facing a breakup, having family networks and close friends allow people to use strategies such as sharing their problems, the use of humor, and understanding and adjusting their emotions to the new situation; while no longer being with a partner.

Thank You for Changing: Gratitude Promotes Autonomous Motivation and Successful Partner Regulation.

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), preregistered longitudinal (Study 2, N = 150 couples), and experimental (Study 3a, N = 431; Study 3b, N = 725) designs, agents' gratitude for targets' efforts was linked to greater targets'-and less consistently agents'-reported regulation success. These effects were consistently mediated by greater target autonomous motivation, and generally persisted when accounting for how agents communicated their change request and other positive responses to targets' efforts (e.g., positivity and support). Gratitude for targets' efforts appears to be an important tool for promoting change success.

From pragmatism to passion: changing partner preferences in Dutch matrimonial and contact advertisements, 1841–1995

ABSTRACT This article explores the evolution of partner preferences in the Dutch mating market from 1841 to 1995, focusing on the rise of the cultural ideal of love-based partner selection. The study examines two hypotheses related to partner selection in modernization theory: the romantic-love hypothesis and the status-attainment hypothesis. These hypotheses are tested with descriptive and multivariate analysis using a database on matrimonial and contact advertisements. The study shows that the transition from instrumental to romantic partner choice was a gradual process, that in the Netherlands only gained momentum in the latter half of the twentieth century coinciding with processes of individualisation and the rise of the welfare state, a century later than earlier literature suggests. First instrumental preferences declined, then romantic preferences grew in importance. Furthermore, while the status-attainment hypothesis predicts an increase in educational preferences over time, the growth was slower and later than expected. These findings challenge both the romantic-love and status-attainment hypotheses and suggest an adjusted combined hypothesis. The study also highlights the role of social status and gender in partner preferences. Advertisers from higher social classes were more likely to express romantic preferences, indicating that wealthier individuals were earlier on inclined to turn love into the cornerstone of their relationships. Women exhibited a stronger emphasis on social status and educational level than men, highlighting gender role ideas of the time with women’s financial dependence guiding their preferences for a partner that could provide for them and their children. Moreover, the research demonstrates that religion and civil status did not significantly influence the internalization of love-based partner choice. The article concludes by emphasizing the significance of matrimonial and contact advertisements as valuable sources for comprehending the quest for a partner in the past and suggests potential avenues for future research based on these advertisements.

Analysis of the Role of Positive Romantic Relationship Plays on Reducing Depression

It is very interesting to notice when we compare the data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the main age of getting depression which is from aged 18 to 24 years old is coincidence with the age of getting into a first love from 15 to 21 years old. So there could be a very high chance for youth with depression to face the situation of making decisions about romantic relationships. The problem has formed those people with depression symptoms might be worried about whether there will be an interaction of symptoms and romantic relationships to cause a bad effect on each side. Those worrying about these problems can lead to anxiety for themselves and their partners who fall in love with them. To prove that a healthy relationship can help reduce depression levels, this study anonymously interviews depressed adolescents in romantic relationships and conducts secondary surveys to draw conclusions. Currently there are not too many studies on the effect of love relationships on depression reduction. It hopes that through the results of this study can reduce the anxiety of depressed patients about entering a romantic relationship, and at the same time, they hope to prove that healthy romantic relationship as a caring method to reduce depression can make patients healthier.

The presence of ‘others’ increases prosociality: examining the role of dating Partner’s accompany on donation

ABSTRACT Research in the field of prosocial behavior has shown that the presence of others has a significant effect on individuals’ prosociality. However, no research has explored such an effect of romantic partner’s presence. Studies in evolutionary psychology have shown benevolence/prosociality as an important factor when choosing a romantic partner. Therefore, in the present study, we hypothesized that people will donate more in the presence of dating partners to maintain a positive impression on them. The research followed a mixed-method approach. The first study, a vignette-based experiment showed that people believed the presence of a dating partner significantly enhances the chances of donation. The second study was a between-subject experiment that confirmed the findings of study 1 from both donors’ and receivers’ perspectives. The third study was a qualitative investigation, where a semi-structured interview method was used to find out how and why the presence of a dating partner may influence donation. The interviews showed that the presence of dating partners increases prosociality mainly because donors want to make a good impression and project the right image of them in their partners’ eyes. The research overall suggests that the human need for self-presentation that projects them more socially likable shapes their willingness to extend a helping hand to others in the presence of their romantic partners.

Romantic partner communication, familism values, and Latine young adults’ relationship maintenance

Negative communication between partners can impede the enactment of prosocial, relationship maintenance behaviors. These processes are especially critical to consider for Latine young adults who hold cultural values, like familism, which emphasize the great importance of personal relationships. Using a sample of 475 Latine young adults ( M = 24.8 years, SD = 3.22), we examined the moderating role of familism on the association between negative communication (e.g., partners’ propensity to withdraw or criticize during interactions) and relationship maintenance (e.g., affectionate and supportive efforts to sustain the relationship). We found that negative communication was inversely associated with individuals’ own relationship maintenance enactment. However, familism buffered the association between negative communication and relationship maintenance; under conditions of high familism, the association between negative communication and relationship maintenance remained negative, but with a weaker effect than under conditions of low familism. Findings reinforce the negative effects of maladaptive communication in relationships more broadly and highlight the protective role of relationally oriented cultural values.

What Drives Mating Effort: Fear of Singlehood, Relationship Status, and Self-Esteem

PurposeAttracting and maintaining a romantic partner requires considerable effort. In the current study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that fear of singlehood is a primary factor driving individuals to allocate scarce resources in the mating domain.MethodsWe conducted a close-ended survey with a sample of 990 Greek and Turkish-speaking participants.ResultsWe found that that a stronger fear of singlehood was associated with higher mating effort. Moreover, voluntarily single participants experienced lower fear of singlehood compared to other categories of singles and individuals in intimate relationships. Additionally, higher self-esteem was associated with lower fear of singlehood. We also identified a significant indirect effect of relationship status and self-esteem on mating effort through fear of singlehood. Specifically, involuntarily single individuals tended to exert more mating effort due to heightened fear of singlehood compared to those in other relationship status categories. Furthermore, higher self-esteem was associated with reduced mating effort, as it was associated with lower fear of singlehood. These findings held true across both the Greek and Turkish samples.ConclusionRelationship status and self-esteem play a role in mating effort through fear of singlehood.