In the quest for effective factors of satisfaction with life: Insights from intra-couple interaction and financial management variables

The aim of the study was to investigate the factors affecting life satisfaction with reference to particular reports from both partners in the relationship. The study was conducted within a group of 500 heterosexual couples. The accuracy of the actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) which offer in-depth insights into the dyadic relationships between female and male partners were estimated. The results of the chi-square test enabled us to reject the hypothesis of actor indistinguishability, therefore the model proposing distinguishability with respect to gender was explored further. The results suggest that women's credit management behavior patterns predict changes in her assessment of well-being. Moreover, the financial behavior patterns of women have an impact on the assessment of well-being as reported by their male partners. Moreover, shared goals and values turned out to be significant with regard to the assessment of quality of life for both women and men. The obtained results provide an insight into the difficulties experienced within relationships and indicate the importance of the roles assumed in various areas of financial management.

Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty

This study explores how researchers' analytical choices affect the reliability of scientific findings. Most discussions of reliability problems in science focus on systematic biases. We broaden the lens to emphasize the idiosyncrasy of conscious and unconscious decisions that researchers make during data analysis. We coordinated 161 researchers in 73 research teams and observed their research decisions as they used the same data to independently test the same prominent social science hypothesis: that greater immigration reduces support for social policies among the public. In this typical case of social science research, research teams reported both widely diverging numerical findings and substantive conclusions despite identical start conditions. Researchers' expertise, prior beliefs, and expectations barely predict the wide variation in research outcomes. More than 95% of the total variance in numerical results remains unexplained even after qualitative coding of all identifiable decisions in each team's workflow. This reveals a universe of uncertainty that remains hidden when considering a single study in isolation. The idiosyncratic nature of how researchers' results and conclusions varied is a previously underappreciated explanation for why many scientific hypotheses remain contested. These results call for greater epistemic humility and clarity in reporting scientific findings.

Effects of Rejection by a Friend for Someone Else on Emotions and Behavior

Studies show that rejection increases negative affect and aggression and decreases helping behavior toward the excluder. Less is known about emotions and behavior after rejection by a friend for someone else. In two experimental studies (N = 101 and N = 169), we tested the predictions that rejection would feel worse in a close relationship but would result in less aggression and more reconnecting behavior, especially when the reasons for rejection were unknown. The results of Study 1 showed that, as expected, among acquaintances, more aggression was noted only after comparative rejection, but among strangers, aggression was also observed after rejection with no stated reason. Negative feelings toward a new acquaintance were only marginally stronger than those toward a stranger in Study 1, but Study 2 confirmed that rejection by a best friend, and especially comparative rejection by a friend, felt worse than other conditions. Study 2 also showed that reconnecting behavior was more likely to dominate over aggressive behavior between people in close relationships than between strangers. The results are discussed mostly in light of the multimotive model of rejection.