1
|
Lin D, Zhu T, Wang Y. Emotion contagion and physiological synchrony: The more intimate relationships, the more contagion of positive emotions. Physiol Behav 2024; 275:114434. [PMID: 38092069 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
The study aimed to explore how interpersonal closeness (friends vs. strangers) and emotion type (positive vs. negative) influenced emotion contagion and physiological synchrony between interacting partners. Twenty-eight friend dyads (n = 56) and 29 stranger dyads (n = 58) participated in an emotion contagion laboratory task. In each dyad, one participant, the 'sender', was randomly asked to watch a film clip (neutral, positive, or negative), while their partner, the 'observer' passively observed the sender's facial expressions. Participants' electrocardiograms (ECG) and facial electromyography (EMG) signals were recorded using the BIOPAC system. Results revealed that observing the sender's facial expressions led to the observer's spontaneous mimicry and emotional contagion, accompanied by enhanced physiological synchrony between interacting partners. In the positive emotion condition, the observers reported more positive emotions and displayed stronger zygomaticus major activity in friend dyads than in stranger dyads. Greater physiological synchrony (heart rate and heart rate variability) between interacting partners was also observed in friend dyads than in stranger dyads in the positive emotion condition. These results indicate that positive emotion contagion is more likely to occur between close partners than negative emotion contagion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daichun Lin
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tongtong Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanmei Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Levenson RW. Two's company: Biobehavioral research with dyads. Biol Psychol 2024; 185:108719. [PMID: 37939868 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
The development of paradigms for studying dyadic interaction in the laboratory and methods and analytics for dealing with dyadic data is described. These are illustrated with research findings from the author and others with particular focus on dyadic measures of linkage or synchrony in physiology, expressive behavior, and subjective affective experience.
Collapse
|
3
|
Haase CM. Emotion Regulation in Couples Across Adulthood. ANNUAL REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 5:399-421. [PMID: 38939362 PMCID: PMC11210602 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-120621-043836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Intimate relationships are hotbeds of emotion. This article presents key findings and current directions in research on couples' emotion regulation across adulthood as a critical context in which older adults not only maintain functioning but may also outshine younger adults. First, I introduce key concepts, defining qualities (i.e., dynamic, coregulatory, bidirectional, bivalent), and measures (i.e., self-report versus performance-based) of couples' emotion regulation. Second, I highlight a socioemotional turn in our understanding of adult development with the advent of socioemotional selectivity theory. Third, I offer a life-span developmental perspective on emotion regulation in couples (i.e., across infancy, adolescence and young adulthood, midlife, and late life). Finally, I present the idea that emotion regulation may shift from "me to us" across adulthood and discuss how emotion regulation in couples may become more important, better, and increasingly consequential (e.g., for relationship outcomes, well-being, and health) with age. Ideas for future research are then discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia M Haase
- School of Education and Social Policy and (by courtesy) Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Gordon AM, Diamond E. Feeling understood and appreciated in relationships: Where do these perceptions come from and why do they matter? Curr Opin Psychol 2023; 53:101687. [PMID: 37708610 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Perceptions of romantic partners (even inaccurate perceptions) are important determinants of initial liking and long-term relationship satisfaction. In the current article, we consider the role of perceptions in romantic relationships through the lens of felt understanding and appreciation. We first examine where perceptions of feeling understood and appreciated come from, considering partner, self, and dyadic influences. We then examine how feeling understood and appreciated shape relationship quality, focusing on these perceptions as buffers of negative relationship experiences and mechanisms through which couples can create positive upward cycles of responsiveness and appreciation. Finally, we theorize about the unique dyadic experience of feeling understood and appreciated, positing that moments of mutual understanding and appreciation play a critical role in increasing social connection.
Collapse
|
5
|
Brown CL, Grimm KJ, Wells JL, Hua AY, Levenson RW. Empathic Accuracy and Shared Depressive Symptoms in Close Relationships. Clin Psychol Sci 2023; 11:509-525. [PMID: 37206479 PMCID: PMC10193708 DOI: 10.1177/21677026221141852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Empathic accuracy, the ability to accurately understand others' emotions, is typically viewed as beneficial for mental health. However, empathic accuracy may be problematic when a close relational partner is depressed because it promotes shared depression. Across two studies, we measured empathic accuracy using laboratory tasks that capture the ability to rate others' emotional valence accurately over time: first, in a sample of 156 neurotypical married couples (Study 1; Total N=312), and then in a sample of 102 informal caregivers of individuals with dementia (Study 2). Across both studies, the association between empathic accuracy and depressive symptoms varied as a function of a partner's level of depressive symptoms. Greater empathic accuracy was associated with (a) fewer depressive symptoms when a partner lacked depressive symptoms, but (b) more depressive symptoms when a partner had high levels of depressive symptoms. Accurately detecting changes in others' emotional valence may underpin shared depressive symptoms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Casey L. Brown
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
| | | | - Jenna L. Wells
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Alice Y. Hua
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hill KE, Kujawa A, Humphreys KL. Caregivers' positive emotion socialization tendencies are associated with positive affect in preschool age children. Infant Ment Health J 2023; 44:437-447. [PMID: 36840976 PMCID: PMC10198901 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.22036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
Longstanding theories of emotion socialization postulate that caregiver emotional and behavioral reactions to a child's emotions together shape the child's emotion displays over time. Despite the notable importance of positive valence system function, the majority of research on caregiver emotion socialization focuses on negative valence system emotions. In the current project, we leveraged a relatively large cross-sectional study of caregivers (N = 234; 93.59% White) of preschool aged children to investigate whether and to what degree, caregiver (1) emotional experiences, or (2) external behaviors, in the context of preschoolers' positive emotion displays in caregiver-child interactions, are associated with children's general positive affect tendencies. Results indicated that, in the context of everyday caregiver-child interactions, caregiver-reported positively valenced emotions but not approach behaviors were positively associated with child general positive affect tendencies. However, when examining specific caregiver behaviors in response to everyday child positive emotion displays, caregiver report of narrating the child's emotion and joining in the emotion with their child was positively associated with child general positive affect tendencies. Together, these results suggest that in everyday caregiver-child interactions, caregivers' emotional experiences and attunement with the child play a role in shaping preschoolers' overall tendencies toward positive affect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaylin E Hill
- Psychology & Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Autumn Kujawa
- Psychology & Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Kathryn L Humphreys
- Psychology & Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wells JL, Haase CM, Rothwell ES, Naugle KG, Otero MC, Brown CL, Lai J, Chen KH, Connelly DE, Grimm KJ, Levenson RW, Fredrickson BL. Positivity resonance in long-term married couples: Multimodal characteristics and consequences for health and longevity. J Pers Soc Psychol 2022; 123:983-1003. [PMID: 35099204 PMCID: PMC9339047 DOI: 10.1037/pspi0000385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The Positivity Resonance Theory of coexperienced positive affect describes moments of interpersonal connection characterized by shared positive affect, caring nonverbal synchrony, and biological synchrony. The construct validity of positivity resonance and its longitudinal associations with health have not been tested. The current longitudinal study examined whether positivity resonance in conflict interactions between 154 married couples predicts health trajectories over 13 years and longevity over 30 years. We used couples' continuous ratings of affect during the interactions to capture coexperienced positive affect and continuous physiological responses to capture biological synchrony between spouses. Video recordings were behaviorally coded for coexpressed positive affect, synchronous nonverbal affiliation cues (SNAC), and behavioral indicators of positivity resonance (BIPR). To evaluate construct validity, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to test a latent factor of positivity resonance encompassing coexperienced positive affect, coexpressed positive affect, physiological linkage of interbeat heart intervals, SNAC, and BIPR. The model showed excellent fit. To evaluate associations with health and longevity, we used dyadic latent growth curve modeling and Cox proportional hazards modeling, respectively, and found that greater latent positivity resonance predicted less steep declines in health and increased longevity. Associations were robust when accounting for initial health symptoms, sociodemographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, and individually experienced positive affect. We repeated health and longevity analyses, replacing latent positivity resonance with BIPR, and found consistent results. Findings validate positivity resonance as a multimodal construct, support the utility of the BIPR measure, and provide initial evidence for the characterization of positivity resonance as a positive health behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jenna L. Wells
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Claudia M. Haase
- School of Education and Social Policy and (by courtesy) Department of Psychology, Northwestern University
| | - Emily S. Rothwell
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
| | | | - Marcela C. Otero
- Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University
| | - Casey L. Brown
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Jocelyn Lai
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine
| | - Kuan-Hua Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
- Institute of Personality and Social Research, University of California, Berkeley
| | | | | | - Robert W. Levenson
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
- Institute of Personality and Social Research, University of California, Berkeley
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Smith TW. Intimate Relationships and Coronary Heart Disease: Implications for Risk, Prevention, and Patient Management. Curr Cardiol Rep 2022; 24:761-774. [PMID: 35380384 PMCID: PMC8981884 DOI: 10.1007/s11886-022-01695-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review Research and clinical services addressing psychosocial aspects of coronary heart disease (CHD) typically emphasize individuals, focusing less on the context of intimate relationships such as marriage and similar partnerships. This review describes current evidence regarding the role of intimate relationships in the development, course, and management of CHD. Recent Findings Having an intimate partner is associated with reduced risk of incident CHD and a better prognosis among patients, but strain (e.g., conflict) and disruption (i.e., separation, divorce) in these relationships are associated with increased risk and poor outcomes. These associations likely reflect mechanisms involving health behavior and the physiological effects of emotion and stress. Importantly, many other well-established psychosocial risk and protective factors (e.g., low SES, job stress, depression, and optimism) are strongly related to the quality of intimate relationships, and these associations likely contribute to the effects of those other psychosocial factors. For better or worse, intimate partners can also affect the outcome of efforts to alter health behaviors (physical activity, diet, smoking, and medication adherence) central in the prevention and management CHD. Intimate partners also influence—and are influenced by—stressful aspects of acute coronary crises and longer-term patient adjustment and management. Summary Evidence on each of these roles of intimate relationships in CHD is considerable, but direct demonstrations of the value of couple assessments and interventions are limited, although preliminary research is promising. Research needed to close this gap must also address issues of diversity, disparities, and inequity that have strong parallels in CHD and intimate relationships.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy W Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Muscatell KA, Inagaki TK. Beyond social withdrawal: New perspectives on the effects of inflammation on social behavior. Brain Behav Immun Health 2021; 16:100302. [PMID: 34589794 PMCID: PMC8474589 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Decades of research in animals and humans show that inflammation is an important regulator of social behavior. While much research in this area has concluded that inflammation causes a withdrawal from social interaction, closer examination of the literature reveals that the effects of inflammation on social behavior are much more nuanced. Indeed, while many studies do show that increases in inflammation lead to social withdrawal, other studies show the exact opposite, finding that inflammation leads to an increase in social approach behavior. Critically, whether an organism withdraws or approaches when inflamed may depend on the whether the target of the behavior is a close other or a stranger. In the present paper, we review both animal research and our initial research in humans that has utilized experimental manipulations of inflammation and examined their effects on social approach behavior. We argue, based on complementary theoretical perspectives and supporting evidence from the literature, that there are three critical next steps for translational work examining the effects of inflammation on social behavior: (1) We need to study actual social behavior, as expressed toward both close others and strangers; (2) We should examine not just the social behavior of the inflamed individual, but also the behavior of others interacting with an inflamed individual; and (3) We must consider the relative increases in inflammation (i.e., higher vs. lower) as a contributor to social withdrawal vs. approach. Ultimately, we urge the field to move beyond a singular focus on inflammation and social withdrawal so that we can develop a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of inflammation on a variety of social behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keely A. Muscatell
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Reis HT, Regan A, Lyubomirsky S. Interpersonal Chemistry: What Is It, How Does It Emerge, and How Does It Operate? PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 17:530-558. [PMID: 34436954 DOI: 10.1177/1745691621994241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Although chemistry is a well-known, sought-after interpersonal phenomenon, it has remained relatively unexplored in the psychological literature. The purpose of this article is to begin articulating a theoretically grounded and precise definition of interpersonal chemistry. To that end, we propose a conceptual model of interpersonal chemistry centered around the notion that when two or more individuals experience chemistry with one another, they experience their interaction as something more than the sum of their separate contributions. Our model stipulates that chemistry encompasses both behavior (i.e., what chemistry "looks like") and its perception (i.e., what it "feels like"). The behavior involves interaction sequences in which synchronicity is high and in which people's goals are expressed and responded to in supportive and encouraging ways. The perception of chemistry includes cognitive (i.e., perception of shared identity), affective (i.e., positive affect and attraction), and behavioral (i.e., perceived goal-relevant coordination) components. We review existing research on chemistry as well as supporting evidence from relevant topics (e.g., attraction, similarity, perceived partner responsiveness, synchrony) that inform and support this model. We hope that this conceptual model stimulates research to identify the circumstances in which chemistry arises and the processes by which it affects individuals, their interactions, and their relationships.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harry T Reis
- Department of Psychology, University of Rochester
| | - Annie Regan
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Brown CL, Fredrickson BL. Characteristics and consequences of co-experienced positive affect: understanding the origins of social skills, social bonds, and caring, healthy communities. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
12
|
How the Affective Quality of Social Connections May Contribute to Public Health: Prosocial Tendencies Account for the Links Between Positivity Resonance and Behaviors that Reduce the Spread of COVID-19. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 2:241-261. [PMID: 33870213 PMCID: PMC8041949 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-021-00035-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Although behaviors such as handwashing, mask wearing, and social distancing are known to limit viral spread, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals in the United States did not adopt them. The positivity resonance theory of co-experienced positive affect (Fredrickson, 2016) holds that shared pleasant states that include the key features of mutual care and a sense of oneness through behavioral synchrony function to build prosocial tendencies (e.g., self-transcendent and other-oriented dispositions of felt unity, empathy, altruism, and general positivity toward humanity). We tested the theory-driven hypothesis that prosocial tendencies are associated with high-quality social connections characterized by the affective state of positivity resonance and, in turn, account for behaviors to slow the spread of COVID-19. We measured perceived positivity resonance at the level of social episodes either during the COVID-19 pandemic (study 1, N = 1059, April-May 2020) or before it (study 2, N = 227, March-November 2019). In both studies, cross-sectionally and prospectively, results suggest that perceived positivity resonance had a positive indirect effect on self-reported hygienic behaviors (e.g., handwashing and mask wearing), which was mediated by a latent measure of prosocial tendencies. Sensitivity analyses confirmed these mediation effects to be independent of competing predictors of prosocial tendencies (e.g., overall positive and negative affect, frequency of social interaction) and competing predictors of health behaviors (e.g., political orientation, high-risk status, illness symptoms). Effects for social distancing were mixed. Overall, findings are consistent with the view that positivity resonance builds self-transcendent prosocial tendencies that motivate behaviors to protect community health. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-021-00035-z.
Collapse
|