Affectionate touch in satisfying and dissatisfying romantic relationships

Abstract

Past research has shown consistent benefits associated with and resulting from affectionate touch, though past research is based almost exclusively on highly satisfied and otherwise non-representative samples. The current research used two nationally representative samples to test correlates (Study 1) and anticipated consequences (Study 2) of affectionate touch in romantic relationships. In Study 1, greater kissing frequency was associated with greater individual well-being, and these links were especially pronounced in the most satisfying relationships. In Study 2, participants who were randomly assigned to imagine receiving affectionate touch from their spouse anticipated greater individual well-being (less stress and greater life satisfaction) and relational benefits (greater perceived partner affection, state security, cognitive interdependence, and relationship quality). These benefits were stronger among people with moderate or high relationship satisfaction but observed even for the subset of individuals (approximately one-third of the sample) who rated their relationships as “distressed.” Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Theory of brain complexity and marital behaviors: The application of complexity science and neuroscience to explain the complexities of marital behaviors

“…Similarly, Coan et al (2017) found that under the threat of shock, higher perceived social support is associated with lower neural activity in an extended networks related to regulatory self-control, salience, and vigilance, but only when holding a partner's hand and not friends. Similar findings have been reported in psychological (Horn et al, 2019;Liu et al, 2021;Jakubiak, 2022) and neuroscience (Younger et al, 2010;Morriss et al, 2019) studies.…”

Walking hand in hand: The role of affection-sharing in understanding the social network effect in same-sex, mixed-sex, and gender-diverse relationships

“…In such circumstances, increasing PDAs would only increase disapproval. Even then, Chris and Robin could increase their private affection-sharing, which is strongly associated with relational well-being, in this study and others (e.g., Jakubiak, 2022). In part, increased private affection-sharing might compensate for the negative effects of network disapproval.…”

What Makes Touch Comfortable? An Examination of Touch Giving and Receiving in Two Cultures

“…As a logical consequence, a touch’s benefit for an individual’s mental and physical well-being may depend on the perceived closeness to a toucher. In support of this, research on romantic relationships has identified a negative correlation between measures of relationship quality, on one hand, and negative affect, perceived stress, and life dissatisfaction, on the other hand (Coan et al, 2013; Jakubiak, 2022).…”