Prescription for Love: An Experimental Investigation of Laypeople's Relative Moral Disapproval of Love Drugs

New technologies regularly bring about profound changes in our daily lives. Romantic relationships are no exception to these transformations. Some philosophers expect the emergence in the near future of love drugs: a theoretically achievable biotechnological intervention that could be designed to strengthen and maintain love in romantic relationships. We investigated laypeople's resistance to the use of such technologies and its sources. Across two studies (Study 1, French and Peruvian university students, N after exclusion = 186; Study 2, Amazon Mechanical Turk sample, N after exclusion = 693, pre-registered), we found that the use of love drugs designed to strengthen and maintain love in romantic relationships are considered as more morally problematic than psychological therapy with the same aim. In Study 2, we show that this last effect is partially due to the fact that the love resulting from the use of love drugs is perceived as less authentic, intense, and durable. We discuss the specific role of authenticity in the relative moral disapproval of love drugs.

Reciprocal self-disclosure makes children feel more loved by their parents in the moment: A proof-of-concept experiment

Feeling loved by one's parents is critical for children's health and well-being. How can such feelings be fostered? A vital feature of loving interactions is reciprocal self-disclosure, where individuals disclose intimate information about themselves. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we examined whether encouraging reciprocal self-disclosure in parent-child dyads would make children feel more loved during the conversation. Participants were 218 children (ages 8-13, 50% girls, 94% Dutch) and one of their parents (ages 28-56, 62% women, 90% Dutch). Parent-child dyads received a list of 14 questions and took turns asking them each other for 9 min. Dyads were assigned randomly to engage in self-disclosure (questions invoking escalated intimacy) or small talk (questions invoking minimal intimacy). Before and after, children reported how loved they felt by their parent during the conversation. Self-disclosure made children feel more loved during the conversation than did small talk. Compared to small talk, self-disclosure did not instigate conversations that were lengthier or more positive; rather, it instigated conversations that were more emotionally charged (reflecting anger, anxiety, and sadness), social (discussing family and friends), reflective (creating insight), and meaningful (addressing deeply personal topics, including the passing of loved ones). The dyad's gender composition did not significantly moderate these effects. Our research suggests that reciprocal self-disclosure can make children feel more loved in the moment, uncovers linguistic signatures of reciprocal self-disclosure, and offers developmental scientists a tool to examine causal effects of reciprocal self-disclosure in parent-child dyads. Future work should examine long-term effects in everyday parent-child interactions. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: How can parents make children feel more loved by them in the moment? We theorize that these feelings can be cultivated through reciprocal self-disclosure. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we examined effects of reciprocal self-disclosure versus small talk in 218 parent-child dyads, with children aged 8-13. Self-disclosure (vs. small talk) made children feel more loved during the conversation. Linguistically, self-disclosure instigated conversations that were more emotionally charged, social, reflective, and meaningful. This research provides an experimental method to study self-disclosure in parent-child dyads and suggests that self-disclosure can make children feel more loved in the moment.

Feeling loved in mixed-gender adolescent romantic relationships in the face of daily stress and support: A dyadic diary study

A profound developmental experience is the emergence of adolescent romantic relationships and first feelings of love. However, the daily nature of feeling loved in adolescents' everyday lives is poorly understood. We investigated how daily stress severity was associated with adolescents' levels of feeling loved and whether romantic partner support moderated these associations. Furthermore, we investigated this for non-interpersonal and interpersonal stressors. N = 97 mixed-gender adolescent romantic couples (age M = 16.38, SD = 1.02) from an ethnically diverse sample (42.2% Hispanic/Latino/a/x, 44.7% White) participated in dyadic diary assessments twice a week for 12 consecutive weeks. Both partners independently completed open-ended questions about a daily stressor, indicating stress severity, perceived partner support, and feeling loved. Daily stressors were coded for non-interpersonal and various types of interpersonal stressors. Results from the dyadic multilevel model showed that days with lower than average support from a romantic partner amplify the adverse effects of stress severity on feeling loved, especially when the partner is involved in the stressor. We discuss the spillover of stress in romantic relationships and the stress-buffering functions of adolescent romantic partner support. Adolescent romantic partners are potentially essential regulators of stress, increasing adolescents' feelings of love. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Romantic love is central in adolescents' lives; we showed that adolescents generally feel loved by romantic partners. Feeling loved fluctuates daily as adolescents feel less loved on stressful days. However, when adolescents perceive their partner as supportive, there is no association between stress and feeling loved. Partner support is protective for feeling loved. The current study provides essential insights into when adolescents and why adolescents feel loved.

Daily dynamics of feeling loved by parents and their prospective implications for adolescent flourishing

Feeling loved by one's caregiver is essential for individual flourishing (i.e., high levels of psychological well-being in multiple dimensions). Although similar constructs are found to benefit adolescent well-being, research that directly tests parental love as a feeling from the recipient's perspective is rare. Historically, parental love has been measured using single-assessment methods and assumed to be a stable, trait-like characteristic; yet, like any feeling, it may fluctuate in meaningful ways on a day-to-day basis-the implications of which are unknown. Using a sample of 150 adolescents (59.3% female; ages 14-16), this study estimated level (person's mean level across days) and instability (fluctuations across days) of feeling loved by a caregiver across 21 days for each adolescent, and then examined their prospective effects on adolescent flourishing 1 year later. After controlling for demographics (adolescent age, gender, family income, and parent's sex) and variable baseline levels, feeling more loved by one's caregiver in daily life significantly predicted higher levels of flourishing in two global measures 1 year later. Moreover, level and instability of feeling loved by one's caregiver played different roles for different dimensions of flourishing: higher levels significantly predicted higher levels of autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth, whereas higher instability significantly predicted lower levels of positive relations with others and environmental mastery. Findings emphasized the importance of considering daily dynamics of feeling loved by one's caregiver and demonstrated that level (of feeling loved) is particularly important for intrapersonal aspects while instability is particularly important for interpersonal aspects of flourishing. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Adolescents feeling more loved by their caregiver in daily life had higher levels of overall flourishing 1 year later. Level (of feeling loved) is particularly important for intrapersonal aspects of adolescent flourishing, including autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth. Stability (of feeling loved) is particularly important for interpersonal aspects of adolescent flourishing, including positive relations with others and environmental mastery.

Psychometric Evaluation of Single-Item Relationship Satisfaction, Love, Conflict, and Commitment Measures

Issues in applied survey research, including minimizing respondent burden and ensuring measures' brevity for smartphone administration, have intensified efforts to create short measures. We conducted two studies on the psychometric properties of single-item satisfaction, love, conflict, and commitment measures. Study 1 was longitudinal, surveying college-age dating couples at three monthly waves (n =121, 84, and 68 couples at the respective waves). Partners completed single- and multi-item measures of the four constructs, along with other variables, to examine test-retest reliability and convergent, concurrent, and predictive validity. Single-item measures of satisfaction, love, and commitment exhibited impressive psychometric qualities, but our single-item conflict measure performed somewhat less strongly. Study 2, a cross-sectional online survey (n = 280), showed strong convergent validity of the single-item measures, including that of conflict.

Association between love breakup and suicidal ideation in Peruvian medical students: a cross-sectional study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective

We aimed to determine the association between a major romantic breakup and suicidal ideation in medical students from three universities in Peru.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted during the first pandemic wave in 2021 on medical students from three universities in northern Peru. The outcome was suicidal ideation, measured with question nine of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were also used to assess mental health symptoms. The exposure was the experience of a major love breakup during the pandemic. In addition, its association with other covariates (age, sex, family members infected with COVID-19, deceased family members with COVID-19, insomnia, and anxiety, among others) was examined.

Results and discussions

Out of 370 students, 19.5% reported a major love breakup during the pandemic (95%CI: 15.5-23.8), and 34.3% had suicidal ideation (95%CI: 29.4-39.4). Having a major love breakup was associated with a higher prevalence of suicidal ideation (PR: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.32-1.67, p < 0.001). Moderate insomnia (PR: 2.56, 95%CI: 1.70-3.87, p < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (PR: 1.94, 1.10-3.44, p = 0.023) were also associated with suicidal ideation.

Conclusion

Our study provides evidence of a significant association between a major love breakup and suicidal ideation. This finding emphasizes the need for further research to better understand this association and inform the development of effective suicide prevention policies in medical education.

Experienced Love: An Empirical Account

This article presents new evidence on the prevalence, dynamics, and hedonic correlates of experienced love from data describing the emotion, well-being, and time use of a diverse sample of 3,867 U.S. adults every half hour for 10 days (N = 1.12 million) supplemented by a hedonic snapshot of an additional 7,255 adults. The findings allude to the seemingly functional and adaptive nature of love and to similarities across binary gender-men and women reported comparable degrees of (passionate) partner love overall, elevated partner love after prolonged same-day separations, substantially elevated well-being in love's presence, and reduced (but not extinguished) partner love in mature marital cohorts. The gender differences that were found-women reported more child love than men, and men exhibited a less pronounced reduction in partner love across cohorts-are also consistent with functional accounts of love that recognize the varying role of men and women in the formation and sustenance of relationships.

Affection preference, enactment, and relationship satisfaction: A dyadic analysis of love languages

Despite its popularity, The Five Love Languages relationship self-help book has received little empirical investigation. This may result in a disconnect between clinicians and clients with preconceived notions based on the book. The current research sought to evaluate love languages through the lens of responsiveness by examining if an accurate or biased understanding of partner preferences for different modes of affection were associated with enacted affectionate behavior, the perception of partner behavior, and relationship satisfaction. The results from a sample of 84 couples indicated that individuals tend to have a biased understanding of partner preferences and these biases influenced expressions of affection. In addition, accurately understanding partner preferences was associated with greater relationship satisfaction. The findings suggest that helping clients understand both their own and their partner's preferences for expressions of affection, may reduce bias and lead to more partner-preferred expressions of affection and, ultimately, greater relationship satisfaction.

Limits on Love: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Psychoanalytic Texts

Critical discourse methodology and a Black feminist lens were used to examine the discourse of contemporary psychoanalysis, specifically to investigate the relationship between language, love, and power. Findings of the analysis include the following. The discourse encourages engagement with linguistic shortcuts, wherein concepts such as oppression and bigotry are used as conduits to discuss intrapsychic experiences. The discourse frames whiteness as the center of experience and marginalizes Blackness, Indigenousness, and other nonwhite perspectives. The discourse is vague about what constitutes love and what place love should have in clinical work. Ultimately, the discourse of the texts in this analysis suggests there is more work to do, more areas in the discipline to disrupt, and more love to give.

Love Is Good, but Does It Have Teeth?

This letter responds to the article "Love Your Patient as Yourself: On Reviving the Broken Heart of American Medical Ethics," by Tyler Tate and Joseph Clair, in the March-April 2023 issue of the Hastings Center Report.

Tyler Tate replies

The author responds to a letter by D. Brendan Johnson in the July-August 2023 issue of the Hastings Center Report concerning his and Joseph Clair's article "Love Your Patient as Yourself: On Reviving the Broken Heart of American Medical Ethics."

Half Empty and Half Full? Biased Perceptions of Compassionate Love and Effects of Dyadic Complementarity

The prevailing theory on relationship judgments for interaction attributes suggests individuals tend to underestimate a romantic partner's expressions of compassionate love and that such underestimation is beneficial for the relationship. Yet, limited research has incorporated dyadic perspectives to assess how biased perceptions are associated with both partners' outcomes. In two daily studies of couples, we used distinct analytical approaches (Truth and Bias Model; Dyadic Response Surface Analysis) to inform perspectives on how biased perceptions are interrelated and predict relationship satisfaction. Consistent with prior research, people demonstrated an underestimation bias. However, there were differential effects of biased perceptions for actors versus partners: Underestimation predicted lower actor satisfaction but generally higher satisfaction for partners. Furthermore, we find evidence for complementarity effects: partners' directional biases were inversely related, and couples were more satisfied when partners had opposing patterns of directional bias. Findings help integrate theoretical perspectives on the adaptive role of biased relationship perceptions.

Priming congruence and COVID-19 vaccination intention: a mediation analysis

BACKGROUND

This study took place at the height of the fifth wave of COVID-19 in France, coinciding with stigmatizing communication toward the unvaccinated. We hypothesized that adherence to this communication would facilitate or inhibit the effects of priming on vaccination intention, depending on whether the priming included a dimension of connection to others.

PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE

In a convenience online French sample (N = 1800, M age = 26.30), vaccination intention was asked after love priming, no love/prejudice priming, materialism priming, or a control condition. Participants also reported their adherence to restrictive measures, i.e., media control, vaccination pass, and mandatory vaccination.

RESULTS

Vaccination intention was higher in the no love/prejudice and materialism conditions than in the love and control conditions. Adherence to restrictive measures mediated the effect of prejudice or materialism priming on intention to get vaccinated.

CONCLUSIONS

Implications of these results are discussed in light of the socially situated cognition perspective and the congruence of (a) a societal context of communication toward the vaccine and the unvaccinated, (b) the participant's degree of adherence to that communication, (c) the theme of priming, whether or not related to feeling connected to others. Implications of materialism priming are discussed, and the effect of commitment on intention to get vaccinated.

What makes people feel loved? An exploratory study on core elements of love across family, romantic, and friend relationships

With research long focusing on distinct characteristics of different love types, little is known about love as a general feeling across relationship contexts. To explore the core elements of love as perceived by laypeople and whether these elements weigh differently in different relationships, grounded theory was used to analyze open-ended responses from 468 individuals about their feeling loved in family, romantic, and friend relationships. Results indicated that the feeling of love is an interpersonal process in which one receives positive responsiveness from the other and experiences an authentic connection with the other, consistently across conditions and time (i.e., in a sense of stability); three core elements were shared across family, romantic, and friend relationships. Chi-square independence tests revealed differentiated weights for love elements in three relationships, which corresponded to the prototypical love definition in family, romantic, and friend relationships. Findings suggested an integrated theoretical conceptualization of love as a shared feeling and asset across relationships, which provided important insights on love conceptualization, assessment, and study design, as well as implications for the treatment of dysfunctional relationships, best practices in daily interpersonal interactions, and improvement in intervention and therapy.

Love Your Patient as Yourself: On Reviving the Broken Heart of American Medical Ethics

This article presents a radical claim: American medical ethics is broken, and it needs love to be healed. Due to a unique set of cultural and economic pressures, American medical ethics has adopted a mechanistic mode of ethical reasoning epitomized by the doctrine of principlism. This mode of reasoning divorces clinicians from both their patients and themselves. This results in clinicians who can ace ethics questions on multiple-choice tests but who fail either to recognize a patient's humanity or to navigate the ethical quandaries into which they are frequently thrown. Drawing on personal experience as well as the philosophical work of Augustine of Hippo, Simone Weil, and Iris Murdoch, we propose a novel ethical approach grounded in a conception of neighbor love, specifically, the virtue of love understood as attention to a sufferer's humanity. We conclude with five practical recommendations for reimagining medical ethics education oriented around the virtue of love.

Bioethics' Conceptual Tool Kit

Two articles in the March-April 2023 issue of the Hastings Center Report challenge principlism and propose new moral frameworks for bioethics. In the lead article, Tyler Tate and Joseph Clair argue that bioethics must be grounded in an understanding of ideal character and relationship to others. The virtue of love, they propose, provides the fundamental conceptual and emotional resources that physicians need. In the second article, Samuel Reis-Dennis offers historical and philosophical explorations of Kantian versus bioethical conceptions of autonomy as he argues that bioethics should be centered on the idea of dignity.

Love and Infidelity: Causes and Consequences

This is a narrative review addressing the topic of romantic infidelity, its causes and its consequences. Love is commonly a source of much pleasure and fulfillment. However, as this review points out, it can also cause stress, heartache and may even be traumatic in some circumstances. Infidelity, which is relatively common in Western culture, can damage a loving, romantic relationship to the point of its demise. However, by highlighting this phenomenon, its causes and its consequences, we hope to provide useful insight for both researchers and clinicians who may be assisting couples facing these issues. We begin by defining infidelity and illustrating the various ways in which one may become unfaithful to their partner. We explore the personal and relational factors that enhance an individual's tendency to betray their partner, the various reactions related to a discovered affair and the challenges related to the nosological categorization of infidelity-based trauma, and conclude by reviewing the effects of COVID-19 on unfaithful behavior, as well as clinical implications related to infidelity-based treatment. Ultimately, we hope to provide a road map, for academicians and clinicians alike, of what some couples may experience in their relationships and how can they be helped.

Pandemic-Related Stress and Other Emotional Difficulties in a Sample of Men and Women Living in Romantic Relationships during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examined the extent to which relationship quality affects variability in perceived stress and other emotional difficulties associated with the pandemic. The study was conducted 2-17 March 2022 using a self-administered online survey. The sample size consisted of 1405 individuals who were in a romantic relationship. The scales used in the study included the PSS-4, ECR-RS, SLS-12 and the standardized Pandemic-ED scale (RMSEA = 0.032). Increased stress levels (U = -5.741), pandemic-related emotional difficulties (U = -8.720), worse romantic relationship quality (U = -2.564) and more frequent anxiety-related attachment (U = -3.371) were characteristic of women. A hierarchical regression model for stress showed that age (b = -0.143), financial situation (b = 0.024), the ECR-RS scores (b = 0.219) and pandemic-related emotional difficulties (b = 0.358) proved to be statistically significant predictors of stress. The hierarchical regression model for pandemic-related emotional difficulties indicated five predictors: gender (b = 0.166), education (b = 0.071), financial situation (b = 0.203), scores on the ECR-RS scale (b = 0.048) and stress (b = 0.367). The SEM model used has satisfactory fit indices (RMSEA = 0.051), romantic relationship quality scores and attachment styles interact with the variability of perceived pandemic-related stress and burdens. The determined model offers conclusions relevant to clinicians working with individuals and couples during periods of intense stress.

What influences judgments of physical attractiveness? A comprehensive perspective with implications for mental health

Judgments of physical attractiveness are based on appearance but are influenced by and influence more than just physical features of the face and body (e.g. clothing and personality traits). This is explored in a selective review of previous research, plus new analyses of data from three previously published studies: the Boston Couples Study, the Multiple Identities Questionnaire, and the Intimate Relationships Across Cultures Study, with implications for mental health. Self-ratings of attractiveness are inflated by self-esteem and confidence in self-halo effects. Partner-ratings are inflated by love and relationship satisfaction in partner-halo effects. Positive responses from others influence attractiveness-enhancing cycles, while negative responses influence attractiveness-deprecating cycles, with impacts on well-being. These influences are represented in a comprehensive Attractiveness Halo Model, which identifies Ten Components of Attractiveness that are inter-related, including physical, emotional, sexual, sensory, intellectual, behavioural, observer, situation, reciprocity, and time. Aspects of the model are supported by analyses of the three studies, generalising comprehensive attractiveness halo effects across time, identities, cultures, and relationship types.

Challenges and coping of couples in intercultural romantic love relationships

This study explores the romantic love in intercultural couples and investigates the qualities that challenge them and help them succeed in their relationships. It uses a qualitative research design within the hermeneutical interpretative research paradigm, aiming to understand the phenomenon of love from different cultural perspectives. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed through content analysis. Qualitative quality criteria and ethical considerations were applied. Ethical consent was provided by Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. The findings represent the views of couples on their love and their relationship, in particular the challenged experienced and the coping strategies to overcome them. Challenges highlighted are the non-acceptance of the relationship by family members and friends; disagreement on cultural values, norms, rules, and rituals; communication in a third language; no language in common with family members; differences in concepts, such as religion, love, feelings, communication; building a common future, and minor differences in personality traits. The participants use individual and joint coping mechanisms to deal with challenges and stressors. These coping mechanisms include attitudes and behaviours regarding culture, awareness, faith and religion, learning, future orientation, and fighting together for the relationship. Conclusions are provided and recommendations for leading intercultural romantic relationships are given.

Jealousy: self-inflicted agony and ruin

This chapter analyses the concept of jealousy (as different from envy) in romantic and sexual relationships. It demonstrates that jealousy is both logically and empirically untenable, as it is: (1) a self-contradictory emotion; (2) a self-destructive activity. As to (1) feelings of jealousy are incompatible with true care for the well-being and satisfaction of the loved partner. Logically, the notion of jealousy is self-defeating: it professes to be an expression of love while at the same time forbidding the loved one the freedom to act autonomously, thus killing the very notion of love. As to (2) nearly all empirical data point to the destructive effects to relationships of the feeling of jealousy, Shakespeare's Othello being its archetypal expression and its scathing analysis. The astounding fact, however, is that in many (most?) cultures jealousy is seen as an expression of love, while in reality it is an emanation of possessive feeling void of affection for the person 'loved'. A thorough cultural analysis, coupled to recently available DNA analyses, however, reveal a wholly different picture of extra-pair offspring, fully undermining the foundations upon which the notion of jealousy if based. Recent developments like 'open relationships' and 'polyamory' may be signs of overthrowing the contradictory and destructive aspects of jealousy. They presuppose, however, to undo deeply ingrained social attitudes accompanying love relationships.

Is the pair bond a human universal? An analytical essay

I argue the impulse to form a dyadic love bond and not the desire for sexual release accounts for the formation of a universality of the pair bond. This impulse is not recent but has been a pervasive force throughout human history. Recently, a reversionist position has argued we are more of a hybrid species that easily and readily shifts between a pair bond and a plural partner family arrangement. Although most humans live out their lives in a sexually monogamous union, it is not something that comes easily or naturally. Sexual monogamy requires adopting an ethical stance and personal dedication to maintain it. This raises the question: if humans need to be vigilant in their moral commitment to remain sexually faithful, does this vigilance extend also to the domain of love? Is it possible to find greater contentment and life-satisfaction in forming simultaneously sexual and emotional unions with a variety of individuals. This is the central question that lies at the core of the pair bond deniers who insist humans are not a pair bond species and can find fulfilment in a pluralistic love bond. I probe (below) the social and emotional nuances associated with what it means to be in an enduring love bond through exploring the social and psychological complexities often associated with being in love. I will then discuss efforts by groups and individuals who have sought to establish social bonds not organised around an exclusive pair bond, and what their efforts reveal about underlying human psychology. My analysis concludes with rendering an assessment of the relative success of the social and personal experiments in the search to find a more fulfilling arena for love.

Leonard Cohen: the duty of lovers

Leonard Cohen sang that the duty of lovers is to tarnish the Golden Rule and that love is not a victory march but a cold and broken Hallelujah. This article explicates what erotics, romance, and love means in Cohen's songs. It compares his conception to those of other notable writers, then arrives at its own definition of love.

Carried Along

As a physician, the hardest days in medicine are when I endure great distance from the Lord in my bedside interactions with patients and families. They make me feel like driftwood without vocational direction. Given the enormity of what critically ill patients are experiencing, emotional detachment from Jesus and those I am serving creates swells of grief for me as a Catholic physician. In the intensive care unit, I tend to gravitate to big and bold occurrences. Unfortunately, one tendency I have is to think that small events yield small outcomes, while big events yield big outcomes. Such is not the case with God, whom I tend to force into finite scales when, in truth, the Creator of the universe has no limits. This essay highlights an experience in which God brought a deeper understanding of His grace from a seemingly monotonous patient encounter. I am reminded that because of God's presence in my relationship with each person, "Nothing shall be impossible." (Lk 1:37).

A Hypothalamic Perspective of Human Socioemotional Behavior

Historical evidence from stimulation and lesion studies in animals and humans demonstrated a close association between the hypothalamus and typical and atypical socioemotional behavior. A central hypothalamic contribution to regulation of socioemotional responses was also provided indirectly by studies on oxytocin and arginine vasopressin. However, a limited number of studies have so far directly investigated the contribution of the hypothalamus in human socioemotional behavior. To reconsider the functional role of the evolutionarily conserved hypothalamic region in regulating human social behavior, here I provide a synthesis of neuroimaging investigations showing that the hypothalamus is involved in multiple and diverse facets of human socioemotional behavior through widespread functional interactions with other cortical and subcortical regions. These neuroimaging findings are then integrated with recent optogenetics studies in animals demonstrating that the hypothalamus plays a more active role in eliciting socioemotional responses and is not simply a downstream effector of higher-level brain systems. Building on the aforementioned evidence, the hypothalamus is argued to substantially contribute to a continuum of human socioemotional behaviors promoting survival and preservation of the species that extends from exploratory and approaching responses facilitating social bonding to aggressive and avoidance responses aimed to protect and defend formed relationships.

Love and Human Rights

This article explains and critiques the protection of love within judgments concerning relationships under the Human Rights Act 1998. Using theory of emotion to conduct doctrinal analysis of the protection of love within international human rights laws and under the Human Rights Act 1998, it reveals a shift in the conception of love underlying the domestic judicial application of huamn rights. Whereas previously the law was underpinned by values of duty and property, judgments concerning relationships now protect the capacity of individuals to choose how to live. However, the protection of this modern conception of love is limited by judicial deference, allowing the values underpinning the historical conception of love to continue to influence the law.

CHILDHOOD TRAUMAS, LOVE ATTITUDES, RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION, AND SEXUAL FUNCTIONS IN EUTHYMIC DEPRESSIVE DISORDER PATIENTS

BACKGROUND

It was aimed to compare childhood traumas, relationship satisfaction, sexual functions, and love attitudes in depressive disorder (DD) patients with healthy volunteers.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The study included 100 DD patients, who were in remission and had no drug side effects, and 100 healthy volunteers. A sociodemographic data form, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Love Attitudes Scale (LAS), the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), and the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) were administered to all participants. In addition, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the UKU Side Effect Rating Scale were applied to DD patients.

RESULTS

CTQ physical abuse scores were higher in the DD group compared to the healthy volunteers (p<0.001). CTQ sexual abuse scores were higher in the DD group than those in healthy volunteers (p=0.020). CTQ emotional abuse scores were higher in the DD group than those in healthy volunteers (p<0.001). RAS scores were lower in the DD group compared to the healthy volunteers (p<0.001). ASEX scores in women were higher in the DD group compared to healthy volunteers (p=0.009). LAS passionate love scores were lower in the DD group than those in the healthy volunteers (p<.0.001). LAS friendship love scores were lower in the DD group than those in healthy volunteers (p=0.005).

CONCLUSION

It can be said that DD patients have more history of abuse, less relationship satisfaction, and less passion for love. Female DD patients may experience more sexual problems.

Receive + Heart = Love. Bidirectional Nourishment in the Practice of Medicine

Attitudinal considerations are so important in the practice of meeting the patient as whole person, and in our literature, these are underexamined. Where does love sit in the transactionality of medical practice? Is this an uncomfortable question? In times which challenge intention and resolve, could the reflection be in some way nourishing?

The love of pets in managing remote work challenges during Covid-19

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of employed individuals all over the world were obliged to work remotely during lockdown. This article focuses on the coping mechanisms which individuals used to manage this difficult situation, specifically the impact which loving and caring for pets had on the way in which people dealt with the challenges of the remote-working environment. Methodologically, this qualitative study used a phenomenological research design to understand the lived experience of the participants in the study. Ten qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with pet owners during the Covid-19 lockdown period in South Africa. The sample was recruited using purposeful and snowball sampling techniques. Data were analysed through content analysis while qualitative quality criteria were applied. Findings show pets supported their owners in many different ways during the pandemic and only the animal's presence supported the owners at home physically, psychologically and emotionally. They helped to reduce the stress of their owners and create a homely atmosphere. Pets played a specific role in providing love, companionship, strong emotional and affective bonds and by creating experiences of comfort, positive as well as negative distraction from work, and physical presence. The experience of love was one major aspect of the relationships between pets and humans. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are given with regard to future research, highlighting how organisations and consultants can use the positive influences of pets in remote-working scenarios.

Life satisfaction and the mediating role of character strengths and gains in informal caregivers

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: The role of informal caregiver can have both negative and positive consequences for a person's well-being. The main theoretical framework for explaining these consequences is the stress process model, which considers contextual variables, stressors and mediating/moderating factors. The latter are psychosocial factors such as coping strategies, personal mastery, social support or beliefs and values which may influence caregiver well-being. The perception of gains in caregiving has also been proposed as a mediating variable since it may act as a coping strategy. However, few studies have examined values and perceived gains as mediating variables with life satisfaction as the outcome. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This study explores the role of character strengths and caregiver gains as mediators between stressors and life satisfaction in informal caregivers of persons with dementia. The results identify hope as a key character strength, its lack being one pathway through which stress may lead to low life satisfaction and low perceived gains from caregiving. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Caregivers who experience a lack of hope may be less able to generate goals and be less motivated to achieve them. Our findings are relevant to gerontological nursing based on the Senses Framework as they confirm the importance of the senses of purpose and achievement. Nursing and care staff can play an active role in helping informal caregivers to meet their goals by promoting these two senses, thereby fostering a more positive caregiving experience. ABSTRACT: Introduction Being an informal caregiver can have both negative and positive consequences for well-being. Within the framework of the stress process model, few studies have examined values and perceived gains of caregiving as mediating variables of life satisfaction. Aim To explore the role of character strengths and perceived gains as mediators in the association between life satisfaction and primary and secondary stressors in informal caregivers of persons with dementia. Method Participants were 112 informal caregivers. Hierarchical regression, correlation and mediation analyses were performed. Results Lower life satisfaction was associated with being female, unmarried, caring for someone with greater cognitive impairment, a higher level of stress, having restricted leisure time and perceiving financial difficulties. Hope mediated the associations between perceived stress and both life satisfaction and perceived gains of caregiving. Discussion Hope is a key strength and its lack is one pathway through which stress may cause low satisfaction and low perceived gains from caregiving. Implications for practice Without hope, it is difficult for caregivers to generate goals and be motivated to achieve them. Nursing and care staff should aim to promote a sense of purpose and achievement among informal caregivers so as to foster a more positive caring experience.

The Measurement of Love: Psychometric Properties and Preliminary Findings of the Short Love Scale (SLS-12) in a Polish Sample

There has been a perceived need for the development of instruments to assess relationship quality and love. The aim of this study was to describe the psychometric properties of the Short Love Scale (SLS-12) and to compare different measurement models. Data were collected using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) in Poland in early 2022 (18-60 years old; n = 941) among individuals living in formal or informal monogamous relationships. Both exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor (CFA) analyses were performed on two different subsamples obtained through random splitting of the full datafile. There were 12 items considered, which form three dimensions in accordance with the theoretical basis. CFA analysis confirmed good psychometric properties of the three-factor SLS-12 model based on EFA solution: χ²(47) = 146.802 (p ˂ 0.001); χ²/df = 3.123; CFI = 0.981, TLI = 0.973, RMSEA = 0.067 (90% CI 0.055-0.080), GFI = 0.952, AGFI = 0.921. SLS-12 subindices varied according to gender and relationship status. Based on ROC curve method, it may be assumed that scores on the SLS-12 ranging from 12 to 44 indicate a poor relationship, scores ranging from 45 to 52 a moderately good relationship, and scores of 53 to 60 a very good relationship. Improving and increasing the range of measures of love available to researchers remains an important task in supporting the progress of this area of research. Further research should be conducted among people of all ages living in both formal and informal relationships using the Short Love Scale-12 outlined in this paper.

White Collars, Dark Histories: The Factors That Lead Women to Commit Corporate Crimes

The literature on white-collar crimes committed by women is sparse, dealing mostly with their motivations, the incidence of the phenomenon, and differences between the women who commit them and those who commit other types of offenses. This qualitative study maps factors leading women to commit such crimes, with particular focus on their family and personal histories, and on the various roles they played as children and adults, which prepared and "trained" them for future illegal behavior. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 18 women convicted and imprisoned for white-collar crimes. A relationship was found between problematic family background and difficulty in help seeking and a nearly obsessive need for love in adulthood, and between the latter and white-collar crime. Theoretical and practical conclusions are discussed and future directions proposed.

Love as a Journey in the Informed Consent Context: Legal Abortion in England and Wales as a Case Study

The right to informed consent (IC), as established in the Supreme Court judgment in Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015] UKSC 11, I claim involves a 'journey of love' between clinicians and patients. The latter entails a process of dialogue and support between the parties, concerning disclosure of risks, benefits and alternatives to medical treatment(s). In this paper, I first claim that IC, in the light of the spirit of Montgomery, is predicated upon two pillars, namely patients' autonomy and medical partnership. I will then explore a case study: the case of legal abortion in England and Wales. Regarding this case, the progressive reduction of medical involvement has meant that little opportunity has been provided for this 'journey' to be unpacked in a medical context. I will ultimately claim that more needs to be done to safeguard IC as a 'journey of love' through valuing both patients' autonomy and medical partnership.

The Making of Imago Hominis: Can We Produce Artificial Companions by Programming Sentience into Robots?

This essay discusses sentient robot (SR) research through the lens of suffering. First three kinds of suffering are considered: physical, psychological, and existential. Physical pain is shown to be primarily subjective, and distinctive psychological and existential sufferings probably do exist, which are neither reducible to neurobiological events, nor replicable through algorithms. The current stage of SR research is then reviewed. Many creative proposals are presented, together with some philosophical and technical challenges posed by other scholars. I then offer my critique of SR research, claiming that it is based on a superficial understanding of suffering and unjustified philosophical presuppositions, namely, reductive physicalism. Without the capability to suffer, robots probably cannot love in any real sense, and no meaningful relationship may be developed between such a robot and a human. Therefore, we are probably unable to produce sentient robots that can become our companions (friends, lovers, etc.).

[Loving to death or the pain of the first love breakup]

A break-up in love can be understood as a mourning, that of a relationship in which many hopes had been founded. This notion is questioned, more particularly in the light of our clinical experience with adolescents, who were seen in consultation following their first losses of love objects. Each love mourning process is unique, evolving according to its own temporality and trajectory, linked in large part to characteristics inherent to the subject, but also to the context of the loss or the relationship maintained with the object of the loss. Despite this, This work participates in the construction of new affective investments and in the construction of the adult subject.

The many faces of power

When we talk about 'power', we're often referring to subjugation by external forces, to potentially abusive situations, to violence and to the objectification of humanity. In short, we often talk about power when we feel powerless, so we end up focusing on its destructive aspects. We experience a plethora of different powers: economic power, political power, religious power, the power of nature, parental power, the power of a boss or master. It's always an asymmetric relation; someone holds the reins of power, and the others must submit. Our psyche, whether on a collective or individual level, seeks to express itself and to be acknowledged. We fight to become, to realize our potential, to get ever closer to our individuation process. Power dynamics however, go beyond such collective (and frequently sombre) arrangements: power is also an essentially creative force. In this paper I want to discuss power as something intrinsic to all creation. Through the symbolic analysis of myths and legends, I argue for the need to integrate the deep feminine in the exercise of power in order to release and express its full potential. I also discuss the need for power, love and wisdom to work together as complementary forces.

Leading with Love: Five Practical Tips

We believe, as Donabedian taught us, that "the secret of quality is love." It is possible to lead with love and discover abundance among teams who feel safe, cared for, and aligned toward common purpose and their own professional growth. We offer five practical tips for leaders' consideration: (1) focus on the people; (2) develop a culture of professional diastole; (3) foster relational trust by reducing the vulnerability of others; (4) make sure the right people are in the right seats on the bus; and (5) administer policies with kindness and common sense. The return on this investment is non-linear and difficult to tally on a spreadsheet, yet it delivers the results that matter most. In the end, we are human, and this is human work. What better time than now to make love the center of what we do.

Single and Multiple Orgasm Experience Among Women in Heterosexual Partnerships. Results of the German Health and Sexuality Survey (GeSiD)

BACKGROUND

Orgasm occurrence plays an important role in general sexual satisfaction for women. Until now, only few studies have focused on examining a broad spectrum of sexuality- and relationship-specific factors associated with orgasm in heterosexual women currently in a long-term relationship or on differences between the overall experience of orgasm and multiple orgasms.

AIM

The present study aims to understand how various sexuality- and relationship-associated factors are related to experiencing partnered orgasm among heterosexual women having stable relationships in Germany. Moreover, the study aims to differentiate between the overall experience of orgasm and the experience of multiple orgasms and shed light on their impact on general sexual satisfaction.

METHODS

Within the nationwide representative survey GeSiD (German Health and Sexuality Survey), n = 1,641 sexually active women aged between 18 and 75 years in heterosexual relationships reported their experience of orgasm during the latest sexual encounter. Data on the type of sexual practices, frequency of sexual activity and of masturbation, relationship satisfaction, feelings of love, closeness, and general sexual satisfaction were analyzed.

OUTCOMES

The overall experience of orgasm, the experience of multiple orgasms, and associations between experiencing orgasm and sexual satisfaction.

RESULTS

Frequency of sexual activity, relationship satisfaction, feelings of love and closeness were moderately to strongly positively correlated with each other and each showed positive associations with the likelihood of orgasm. Greater number of sexual practices and frequency of sexual activity were associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing multiple orgasms, which in turn was correlated with higher sexual satisfaction.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

In clinical and therapeutic work with women who have difficulty achieving orgasm, central issues should be the perceived relationship quality as well as regular sexual activity with the partner.

STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS

The present population-representative study is the first in Germany to identify significant factors associated with the experience of orgasm among heterosexual women in relationships. Further studies ought to include the frequency of orgasms in partnered sex over a longer period of time as well as the experience of orgasm during masturbation.

CONCLUSION

The experience of orgasm for women is related to a variety of complex interpersonal mechanisms and to be associated with sexual satisfaction. Cerwenka S, Dekker A, Pietras L, et al. Single and Multiple Orgasm Experience Among Women in Heterosexual Partnerships. Results of the German Health and Sexuality Survey (GeSiD). J Sex Med 2021;XX:XXX-XXX.

Facebook Users' Interactions, Organic Reach, and Engagement in a Smoking Cessation Intervention: Content Analysis

Background

Facebook can be a suitable platform for public health interventions. Facebook users can express their reaction to the given social media content in many ways using interaction buttons. The analysis of these interactions can be advantageous in increasing reach and engagement of public health interventions.

Objective

This research aimed at understanding how Facebook users’ interactions correlate with organic reach and engagement regarding the same smoking cessation support contents.

Methods

The study population consisted of Facebook users who were reached by a public smoking cessation support page without advertising. We included 1025 nonpaid Facebook posts (N=1025) which used smoking cessation strategies based on a motivational interviewing counseling style. The following data were collected from the “Post Details”: the number of people who saw the given nonpaid content (organic reach) which consisted of fan and nonfan reach according to previous “page like” activity; each rate of “engagement indicators” (such as the symbols of “like,” “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad,” “angry”; or other interactions: “shares,” “comments,” “clicks”); and the rate of negative Facebook interactions (eg, “post hides” or “unlike of page”). Overall, these data were analyzed with the Spearman correlation method.

Results

Surprisingly, we found a significant negative correlation between organic reach and the “like” reaction (r_s=–0.418; P<.001). The strongest significant positive correlations of organic reach were observed with the “haha” reaction (r_s=0.396; P<.001), comments (r_s=0.368; P<.001), and the “love” reaction (r_s=0.264; P<.001). Furthermore, nonfan reach correlated positively with “shares” (r_s=0.388; P<.001) and clicks (r_s=0.135; P<.001), while fan reach correlated positively with the “haha” reaction (r_s=0.457; P<.001), comments (r_s=0.393; P<.001), and the “love” reaction (r_s=0.310; P<.001). Contrary to expectations, the “like” reaction was sharply separated by significant negative correlations from “wow” (r_s=–0.077; P=.013), “sad” (r_s=–0.120; P<.001), “angry” reactions (r_s=–0.136; P<.001), and comments (r_s=–0.130; P<.001). Additionally, a high rate of negative Facebook interactions was significantly associated with “wow” (r_s=0.076; P=.016) and “sad” reactions (r_s=0.091; P=.003).

Conclusions

This study has shown that it is possible to hypothesize a disadvantage of the “like” reaction and advantages of other interactions (eg, the “haha” reaction or “comments”) in content algorithmic ranking on Facebook. In addition, the correlational analysis revealed a need of a further categorization to fan-specific interactions (eg, “haha” or “love” reactions) and nonfan-specific interactions (eg, “shares” and “clicks”). Regarding the direction of the correlations, these findings suggest that some interactions (eg, negative Facebook interactions, “wow,” “sad,” and “angry” reactions) may decrease the engagement, while other interactions (“like,” “love,” “haha” reactions, “shares,” and “clicks”) may increase the engagement during Facebook-based smoking cessation interventions. This hypothesis-generating research offers an important insight into the relationship between organic reach, engagement, and Facebook users’ interactions for public health professionals who design Facebook-based interventions.

'Love makes me feel good inside and my heart is fixed': What adults with intellectual disabilities have to say about love and relationships

BACKGROUND

Adults with intellectual disabilities have historically been hindered, rather than supported, in their desire to form loving relationships. This paper sought to explore with them what kinds of support they wanted in the 21st Century.

METHOD

Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 adults with intellectual disabilities in the United Kingdom.

RESULTS

Participants placed a high value on having a partner and being supported to maintain and develop a loving relationship. The factors which constrained them in achieving this included a lack of social opportunities, barriers created by social care services and limits on them exercising autonomy. Facilitating factors included access to specialist dating agencies, strong family and staff support and opportunities to learn about relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

The importance of a loving relationship as a source of pleasure and meaning in the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities who are often disadvantaged in many other spheres of life is emphasised.

Romantic Relationship Dissolution, Microbiota, and Fibers

Microbiota inhabit nearly every part of our body with the gut microbiota representing the greatest density and absolute abundance. The gut-microbiota-brain axis facilitates bidirectional communication between gut microbiota and the brain. For instance, romantic relationship not only brings joy, it is also associated with increased gut microbiota diversity and health benefits whereas reduced microbiota diversity is related to obesity, cardiac disease, type 2 diabetes, and inflammatory disorders. Research has shown that dietary fibers may increase microbiota diversity and exert antidepressant effect. Among a plethora of life stressors, romantic relationship dissolution is a relatively common and painful experience that people encounter from time to time. Depressed mood, social isolation and poor intake are all associated with romantic relationship dissolution. In this article, it is hypothesized that romantic relationship dissolution is accompanied by decreased gut microbiota diversity which could be corrected with the ingestion of dietary fibers with an additional antidepressant benefit.

On the theory of mental representation block. a novel perspective on learning and behavior

Understanding the mechanisms behind memory, learning, and behavior is crucial to human development and significant research has been done in this area. Classical and operant conditioning and other theories of learning have elucidated different mechanisms of learning and how it modulates behavior. Even with advances in this area, questions remain on how to unlearn faulty ideas or extinguish maladaptive behaviors. In this paper, a novel theory to improve our understanding of this area is proposed. The theory proposes that as a consequence of the brain's energy efficiency evolutionary adaptations, all learning following memory consolidation, reconsolidation, and repeated reinforcements or strengthening over time, results in a phenomenon called mental representation block. The implications of this block on learning and behavior are significant and broad and include cognitive biases, belief in a creator or God, close-mindedness, dogmatism, physician misdiagnosis, racism, homophobia, and transphobia, susceptibility to deception and indoctrination, hate and love, artificial intelligence and creativity.

Acceptance of Love and Remarriage Among Older Adults in the Philippines

Objectives: Later-life re-partnership has been linked to healthy aging, but little is known about Philippine older adults' perception of love and remarriage in older age. Methods: Using two nationally representative surveys on aging in the Philippines, we estimated the proportion of older adults reporting acceptance. Using weighted logistic regression, we assessed sociodemographic and health factors associated with acceptance as well as the relationship of this acceptance with social activity and health behaviors. Results: Only seventeen percent of respondents reported acceptance. Per multivariable analyses, unmarried men and married women reported acceptance, and acceptance was associated with increased social activity and smoking in men, less smoking in women, and more drinking in both genders. Discussion: Most older adults in the Philippines reported love and remarriage in old age as unacceptable. Through these results, we can understand how attitudes toward later-life relationship impact older adults' health and well-being.

Love and Romantic Relationships in the Voices of Patients Who Experience Psychosis: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

Love is a universal experience that most people desire. A serious, long-term, and stigmatized illness makes entering and maintaining close relationships difficult, however. Ten persons, who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and lived with their illness for between years and decades of their lifetimes, shared their stories. They reported how the illness has influenced their emotional experiences regarding love and their intimate relationship experiences. We present here a qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of their narratives. This analysis has been done with an explicit intention to give voice to the patient’s perspective. The results highlight how illness adjustment and hospitalizations have an alienating effect on relationships through stigmatization and self-stigmatization; how illness creates psychological obstacles to love, such as diminished trust toward oneself and others; and how long-term patients experience practical difficulties in creating and sustaining relationships, such as poverty. Moreover, we show how patients experience changes in sexuality and the risks involved in it and discuss possible coping strategies from their perspectives.

[Sexuality in an institution: a source of questioning for caregivers]

In the Pas-de-Calais (62), a principle is clearly stated in a psychiatric clinic created in 2005: the unit is not a suitable place for sexual relations. The reasoning behind this statement relates to the vulnerability of the patients and the pathologies present. Priority is given to the care. Even if this basic principle is clearly stated in black and white in the internal regulations, the teams are nevertheless confronted with sexual activity among the patients, causing them to question the approach.