Appreciation doesn’t only feel good in the moment.
Research found that people who felt more appreciated by their romantic partners also tended to feel more appreciative toward those partners.
Greater appreciation was then associated with being...
Doing something for your partner doesn’t guarantee they’ll realize you made a sacrifice.
Two daily studies involving romantic couples found that sacrifices were about as likely to be missed as accurately noticed.
People also sometimes believed...
A daily-diary study followed 99 couples (198 people) and measured their interactions twice per day for seven days.
Researchers examined self-disclosure, perceived partner disclosure, responsiveness, and couple satisfaction.
The results...
Psychologists have experimentally studied whether structured, gradually increasing self-disclosure can create interpersonal closeness between strangers.
This research eventually became famous through the so-called “36 questions.”
But the...
Researchers distinguish between destiny beliefs and growth beliefs about relationships.
A strong destiny mindset treats compatibility as something that should naturally exist: either two people are right for each other or they aren't.
A growth...
Five studies found an interesting relationship effect involving negative disclosures.
People responded less supportively to the same negative disclosure when they believed the person making it was someone who frequently E×ρréššed negativity.
So...
In a 2022 experiment involving 253 participants who didn't previously know each other, people who engaged in more intense self-disclosure perceived their conversation partner as more responsive.
That greater perceived responsiveness was then...
People sometimes gravitate toward interaction patterns resembling ones they've experienced before, even when those patterns aren't necessarily ideal.
Comfort can certainly be a positive sign, but it shouldn't replace evaluating how someone...
People differ considerably in how they process relationships.
One person may analyze messages, conversations, and future possibilities constantly, while another feels equally committed without mentally reviewing everything.
Attachment style...
Relationship researchers don't only study how partners respond when something goes wrong.
How someone reacts when their partner shares good news also matters.
Responding enthusiastically, asking questions, and helping the other person enjoy...
People often imagine that one final conversation will completely resolve the emotional uncertainty surrounding a breakup.
An explanation can certainly provide useful information.
But emotional attachment and grief don't necessarily disappear...
Humans don't evaluate potential partners completely independently of social information.
Research on mate-choice copying and social influence suggests that knowing another person is considered desirable by others can sometimes influence...
There's a popular belief that couples gradually develop matching personalities after spending years together.
Large studies have found considerable personality similarity between partners, but evidence suggests much of it may result from people...
Remembering something a date mentioned previously can communicate more than having a good memory.
It can signal responsiveness—that you listened, understood, and considered what the other person said important.
Perceived partner responsiveness...