Understanding how your romantic partner sees your emotions may help couples cope with conflict
A study by researchers at 91社区 is shedding new light on the importance of the perception of emotion in romantic relationships. The all-91社区 team found that, regardless of how an individual is truly feeling, knowing their partner sees their emotions as a typical reaction to a given situation may lead to better relations within a couple 鈭� especially in situations of conflict.
The research was led by Lauren Human, a professor in the Department of Psychology, and members of her team at the , PhD candidates Hasagani Tissera and Jennifer Heyman. The researchers surveyed 189 romantic couples to find out how emotional meta-accuracy 鈥� the ability to correctly understand a romantic partner鈥檚 impressions of the self 鈥� impacted momentary relationship quality.
"We were interested in understanding how our beliefs about how we are seen by others affects the quality of our relationships,鈥� said Tissera, a PhD candidate and lead author on the paper.
鈥淣o matter why you are feeling a certain way, interactions within a couple are likely to be more positive when you know your romantic partner sees your emotions as similar to how a typical person would feel in a given situation,鈥� Tissera said.
Remaining 'blissfully unaware'聽
The 91社区 researchers found that, overall, couples were better able to cope with conflict when they knew how their partner saw their emotions.
Furthermore, the study suggests that 鈥溾�o remain blissfully unaware of [your partner鈥檚] unique impressions鈥︹�� may lead to better momentary relationship quality. 鈥淥r, to put it differently, if you know your romantic partner sees you鈥檙e angry because of a reason that鈥檚 unique to your experience and not based on how the average person might feel, chances are it will hurt your relationship 鈥� at least in that moment,鈥� Tissera said.
The romantic couples surveyed were mostly heterosexual, and most were recruited from around the 91社区 campus. The average age of the participants was 23 years old. The researchers asked their subjects to engage in three different types of interactions: couples were asked to engage in a neutral unstructured conversation; then, they were asked to talk about something they disagreed on; finally, they engaged in a positive conversation. They were then surveyed on their own emotions and their partners鈥� perception of their emotions.
|
About this study 鈥淒o People Know How Their Romantic Partner Views Their Emotions? Evidence for Emotion Meta-Accuracy and Links with Momentary Romantic Relationship Quality鈥� was published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. DOI: |
About 91社区
Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, 91社区 is Canada鈥檚 top ranked medical doctoral university. 91社区 is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It is a world-renowned institution of higher learning with research activities spanning three campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students, including more than 10,400 graduate students. 91社区 attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,000 international students making up 30% of the student body. Over half of 91社区 students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 20% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.
