Romantic partners influence each other's goals

Date:
September 8, 2020
Source:
University of Basel
Summary:
Over the long-term, what one partner in a two-person relationship
wishes to avoid, so too does the other partner -- and what
one wants to achieve, so does the other. These effects can be
observed regardless of gender, age and length of the relationship,
as researchers report in a study of more than 450 couples.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Over the long-term, what one partner in a two-person relationship wishes
to avoid, so too does the other partner -- and what one wants to achieve,
so does the other. These effects can be observed regardless of gender,
age and length of the relationship, as researchers from the University
of Basel report in a study of more than 450 couples.


==========================================================================
The research team from the University of Basel's Faculty of Psychology
wanted to examine the short- and long-term interdependence of approach
goals and avoidance goals within couples. The participants reported
whether they had tried to avoid conflicts or share meaningful experiences
with their partner that day. This was followed by an analysis of how
the information affected the goals of the partner.

The goals of each person were recorded daily over the course of two 14-day measurement periods at an interval of 10 to 12 months; 456 male-female
couples took part. The average age of the participants was just under 34
years old, and the average relationship length was almost 10 years. The
study appeared in the latest issue of The Journal of Gerontology.

Delayed effects The study showed that when one person within a couple
avoids distress and conflicts, for example, the other tries to do
the same. And conversely, when one person seeks personal growth and
meaningful experiences, the other wants to achieve them too. The
team of psychologists, led by first author Professor Jana Nikitin,
found significant delayed effects between the partners. These appeared regardless of gender, age or relationship length.

It was notable that the daily goals of one partner -- which can change
- - mainly coincided with the medium- and longer-term goal trends of
the other partner. It therefore takes several days to months for the
long-term relationship goals of one partner to have an impact on the
goals of the other.

"This could be an adaptive mechanism to maintain the stability of the relationship," says Nikitin, "by not being influenced by every momentary
shift made by the partner."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Basel. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jana Nikitin, Jenna Wu"nsche, Janina L. Bu"hler, Rebekka Weidmann,
Robert
P Burriss, Alexander Grob. Interdependence of Approach and Avoidance
Goals in Romantic Couples Over Days and Months. The Journals of
Gerontology: Series B, 2020; DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa149 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200908122536.htm

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