Relational conflict has a considerable impact on relational and personal well-being, but whether that impact is positive or negative depends on how the conflict is managed. Individuals struggle to have constructive conflicts that protect their relationships and avoid excess stress, which can lead to declines in relationship quality over time. The current set of experiments tested whether a brief touch intervention would promote relational well-being and prevent stress during couple conflict discussions. Results indicated that engaging in touch prior to and during conflict was effective to improve couple-members’ conflict behavior and to buffer stress in real (Experiment 1) and imagined (Experiments 2a and 2b) contexts. The results of these experiments suggest that touch may be a simple yet effective intervention for improving couple conflict discussions. In addition, we provide initial evidence that enhanced state security and cognitive interdependence serve as mechanisms underlying these effects.
AgnewC. R.Van LangeP. A. M.RusbultC. E.LangstonC. A. (1998). Cognitive interdependence: Commitment and mental representation of close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 939-954.
2.
AronA.AronE. N.SmollanD. (1992). Inclusion of other in the self scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 596-612.
3.
AronA.AronE. N.TudorM.NelsonG. (1991). Close relationships as including other in the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 241-253.
4.
BaucomD.EpsteinN. (1990). Cognitive-behavioral marital therapy. New York, NY: Brunner/Mazel.
5.
BeckesL.CoanJ. A. (2011). Social baseline theory: The role of social proximity in emotion and economy of action. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5, 876-988.
6.
Ben-AriA.LaveeY. (2007). Dyadic closeness in marriage: From the inside story to a conceptual model. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 627-644.
7.
BirdittK. S.BrownE.OrbuchT. L.McIlvaneJ. M. (2010). Marital conflict behaviors and implications for divorce over 16 years. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 1188-1204.
8.
BrooksK. P.RoblesT. F.Dunkel SchetterC. (2011). Adult attachment and cortisol responses to discussions with a romantic partner. Personal Relationships, 18, 302-320.
9.
BuehlmanK. T.GottmanJ. M.KatzL. F. (1992). How a couple views their past predicts their future: Predicting divorce from an oral history interview. Journal of Family Psychology, 5, 195-318.
10.
CassidyJ.ShaverP. R.MikulincerM.LavyS. (2009). Experimentally induced security influences responses to psychological pain. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 28, 463-478.
11.
CohenS.Janicki-DevertsD.MillerG. E. (2007). Psychological stress and disease. Journal of the American Medical Association, 298, 1685-1687.
12.
CohenS.Janicki-DevertsD.TurnerR. B.DoyleW. J. (2015). Does hugging provide stress-buffering social support? A study of susceptibility to upper respiratory infection and illness. Psychological Science, 26, 135-147.
13.
CohenS.KamarckT.MermelsteinR. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 386-396.
14.
CollinsN. L.FeeneyB. C. (2004). An attachment theory perspective on closeness and intimacy. In MashekD. J.AronA. A. (Eds.), Handbook of closeness and intimacy (pp. 163-188). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
15.
CollinsN. L.ReadS. J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 644-663.
16.
CummingsE. M.FairclothW. B.MitchellP. M.CummingsJ. S.SchermerhornA. C. (2008). Evaluating a brief intervention program for improving marital conflict in community families. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 193-202.
17.
DebrotA.SchoebiD.PerrezM.HornA. B. (2013). Touch as an interpersonal emotion regulation process in couples’ daily lives: The mediating role of psychological intimacy. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39, 1373-1385.
18.
DitzenB.HoppmanC.KlumbP. (2008). Positive couple interactions and daily cortisol: On the stress-protecting role of intimacy. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70, 883-889.
19.
DitzenB.NeumannI. D.BodenmannG.von DawansB.TurnerR. A.EhlertU.HeinrichsM. (2007). Effects of different kinds of couple interaction on cortisol and heart rate responses to stress in women. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 32, 565-574.
20.
El-SheikhM.KellyK. J.KossR. J.RauerA. J. (2015). Longitudinal relations between constructive and destructive conflict behavior and couples’ sleep. Journal of Family Psychology, 29, 349-359.
21.
FeeneyB. C.CollinsN. L. (2015). A new look at social support: A theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 19, 113-147.
22.
FeeneyB. C.LemayE. P. (2012). Surviving relationship threats: The role of emotional capital. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 1004-1017.
23.
FinkelE. J.SlotterE. B.LuchiesL. B.WaltonG. M.GrossJ. J. (2013). A brief intervention to promote conflict reappraisal preserves marital quality over time. Psychological Science, 24, 1595-1601.
24.
GlennN. D. (1998). The course of marital success and failure in five American 10-year marriage cohorts. Journal of Marriage and Family, 60, 569-576.
25.
GottmanJ.NotariusC. (2002). Marital research in the 20th century and a research agenda for the 21st century. Family Process, 41, 159-197.
26.
GottmanJ. M. (1994). What predicts divorce? The relationship between marital process and marital outcomes. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
27.
GottmanJ. M.LevensonR. W. (1992). Marital processes predictive of later dissolution: Behavior, physiology, and health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 221-233.
28.
GottmanJ. M.LevensonR. W. (2002). A two-factor model for predicting when a couple will divorce: Exploratory analyses using 14-year longitudinal data. Family Process, 41, 83-96.
29.
GreenbergL. S.JohnsonS. M. (1988). Emotionally focused therapy for couples. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
30.
GulledgeA. K.GulledgeM. H.StahmannR. F. (2003). Romantic physical affection types and relationship satisfaction. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 233-242.
31.
HallgrenK. A. (2012). Computing inter-rater reliability for observational data: An overview and tutorial. Tutorials in Quantitative Methods in Psychology, 8, 23-24.
32.
HeimanJ. R.LongJ. S.SmithS. N.FisherW. A.SandM. A.RosenR. C. (2011). Sexual satisfaction and relationship happiness in midlife and older couples in five countries. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 741-753.
33.
HolmesJ. G.RempelJ. K. (1989). Trust in close relationships. In HendrickC. (Ed.), Close relationships (pp. 187-220). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
34.
Holt-LunstadJ.BirminghamW.LightB. Q. (2008). Influence of a “warm touch” support enhancement intervention among married couples on ambulatory blood pressure, oxytocin, alpha amylase, and cortisol. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70, 976-985.
35.
HustonT. L.ChorostA. F. (1994). Behavioral buffers on the effect of negativity on marital satisfaction: A longitudinal study. Personal Relationships, 1, 223-239.
36.
JakubiakB. K.FeeneyB. C. (2016a). Keep in touch: The effects of imagined touch support on exploration and pain. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 65, 59-67.
37.
JakubiakB. K.FeeneyB. C. (2016b). A sense of security: Touch promotes state attachment security. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7, 745-753.
38.
JakubiakB. K.FeeneyB. C. (2017). Affectionate touch to promote relational, psychological, and physical well-being in adulthood: A theoretical model and review of the research. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 21, 228-252.
39.
JohnsonM. D.CohanC. L.DavilaJ.LawrenceE.RoggeR. D.KarneyB. R.BradburyT. N. (2005). Problem-solving skills and affective expressions as predictors of change in marital satisfaction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 15-27.
40.
KelleyH. H.ThibautJ. W. (1978). Interpersonal relations: A theory of interdependence. New York, NY: John Wiley.
41.
KennyD. A.KashyD. A.CookW. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
42.
Kiecolt-GlaserJ. K.LovingT. J.StowellJ. R.MalarkeyW. B.LemeshowS.DickinsonS. L.GlaserR. (2005). Hostile marital interactions, proinflammatory cytokine production, and wound healing. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 1377-1384.
43.
Kiecolt-GlaserJ. K.MalarkeyW. B.CheeM.NewtonT.CacioppoJ. T.MaoH. Y.GlaserR. (1993). Negative behavior during marital conflict is associated with immunological down-regulation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 55, 395-409.
44.
KimK.FeeneyB. C.JakubiakB. K. (2017). Touch reduces romantic jealousy in the anxiously attached. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/0265407517702012
45.
KluwerE. S.JohnsonM. D. (2007). Conflict frequency and relationship quality across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 1089-1106.
46.
LeavittC. E.WilloughbyB. J. (2014). Associations among attempts at physical intimacy and relational outcomes among cohabitating and married couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 32, 241-262.
47.
LedbetterA. M. (2013). Relational maintenance and inclusion of the other in the self: Measure development and dyadic test of a self-expansion theory approach. Southern Communication Journal, 78, 289-310.
48.
LukeM. A.SedikidesC.CarnelleyK. (2012). Your love lifts me higher! The energizing quality of secure relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 721-733.
49.
MarkmanH. J.RenickM. J.FloydF. J.StanleyS. M.ClementsM. (1993). Preventing marital distress through communication and conflict management training: A 4- and 5-year follow-up. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 70-77.
50.
MatthewsL. S.WickramaK. A. S.CongerR. D. (1996). Predicting marital instability from spouse and observer reports of marital interaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 641-655.
51.
MeierB. P.SchnallS.SchwarzN.BarghJ. A. (2012). Embodiment in social psychology. Topics in Cognitive Science, 4, 705-716.
52.
MikulincerM.ShaverP. R. (2007). An attachment and behavioral systems perspective on social support. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26, 7-19.
53.
MikulincerM.ShaverP. R.Bar-OnN.SahdraB. K. (2014). Security enhancement, self-esteem threat, and mental depletion affect provision of a safe haven and secure base to a romantic partner. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 31, 630-650.
54.
MikulincerM.ShaverP. R.SahdraB. K.Bar-OnN. (2013). Can security-enhancing interventions overcome psychological barriers to responsiveness in couple relationships?Attachment & Human Development, 15, 246-260.
55.
MurrayS. L.HolmesJ. G.CollinsN. L. (2006). Optimizing assurance: The risk regulation system in relationships. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 641-666.
56.
NewtonT. L.SanfordJ. M. (2003). Conflict structure moderates associations between cardiovascular reactivity and marital interaction. Health Psychology, 22, 270-278.
57.
OstensonJ. A.ZhangM. (2014). Reconceptualizing marital conflict: A relational perspective. Journal of Theoretical & Philosophical Psychology, 34, 229-242.
58.
PappL. M.CummingsE. M.Goeke-MoreyM. C. (2009). For richer, for poorer: Money as a topic of marital conflict in the home. Family Relations, 58, 91-103.
59.
PowersS. I.PietromonacoP. R.GunlicksM.SayerA. (2006). Dating couples’ attachment styles and patterns of cortisol reactivity and recovery in response to a relationship conflict. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 613-628.
60.
ProulxC. M.HelmsH. M.BuehlerC. (2007). Marital quality and personal well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 576-593.
61.
ReisH. T.ManiaciM. R.CaparielloP. A.EastwickP. W.FinkelE. J. (2011). Familiarity does indeed promote attraction in live interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 10, 557-570.
62.
RobinsonK. J.HoplockL. B.CameronJ. J. (2015). When in doubt, reach out: Touch is a covert but effective mode of soliciting and providing social support. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6, 831-839.
63.
RoblesT. F.ShafferV. A.MalarkeyW. B.Kiecolt-GlaserJ. K. (2006). Positive behaviors during marital conflict: Influences on stress hormones. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23, 305-325.
64.
RodriguezA. J.MargolinG. (2013). Wives’ and husbands’ cortisol reactivity to proximal and distal dimensions of couple conflict. Family Process, 52, 555-569.
65.
RoweA. C.CarnelleyK. B. (2003). Attachment related differences in processing of attachment-relevant information: Primed-style effects on recall, interpersonal expectations, and affect. Personal Relationships, 10, 59-75.
66.
RusbultC. E.Van LangeP. A. M. (2003). Interdependence, interaction, and relationships. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 351-375.
67.
SeiderB. H.HirschbergerG.NelsonK. L.LevensonR. W. (2009). We can work it out: Age differences in relational pronouns, physiology, and behavior in marital conflict. Psychology of Aging, 23, 604-613.
68.
ThoitsP. A. (2010). Stress and health: Major findings and policy implications. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51(Suppl. 1), S41-S53.
69.
Van LangeP. A. M.RusbultC. E.DrigotasS. M.ArriagaX. B.WitcherB. S.CoxC. L. (1997). Willingness to sacrifice in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 1373-1395.
70.
VanLaninghamJ.JohnsonD. R.AmatoP. (2001). Marital happiness, marital duration, and the U-shaped curve: Evidence from a five-wave panel study. Social Forces, 78, 1313-1341.
71.
Van VleetM.FeeneyB. C. (2015). Young at heart: A perspective for advancing research on play in adulthood. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10, 639-645.
72.
WaltonG. M. (2014). The new science of wise psychological interventions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 73-82.
73.
WinczewskiL. A.BowenJ. D.CollinsN. L. (2016). Is empathic accuracy enough to facilitate responsive behavior in dyadic interaction? Distinguishing ability from motivation. Psychological Science, 27, 394-404.
74.
WoodinE. M. (2011). A two-dimensional approach to relationship conflict: Meta-analytic findings. Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 325-335.
75.
WrightB. L.LovingT. J. (2011). Health implications of conflict in close relationships. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5, 552-562.
76.
ZietlowP. H.SillarsA. L. (1988). Life-stage differences in communication during marital conflicts. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 5, 223-245.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
