Decoding stressful conversations: Investigating the links between testosterone,relational outcomes,and perceived (non)accommodation in mixed-sex college couples

Abstract

Communication behavior during conversations about relational stressors has consequences for romantic relationships and may be associated with partners’ relational uncertainty and satisfaction. The current study explored whether the hormone testosterone (T) is associated with post-conversation relational outcomes through perceptions of partners’ (non)accommodative behaviors during a stressful conversation. Data was collected from 50 mixed-sex college couples. The results of an actor-partner dyadic mediation model revealed that, for women, T was associated with perceived partner (non)accommodation, which in turn was associated with relational uncertainty. Partner effects were also found. More specifically, women’s T was positively associated with men’s relational uncertainty and men’s perceived nonaccommodation, men’s perceived accommodation was negatively associated with women’s relational uncertainty, and women’s perceived nonaccommodation was positively associated with men’s relational uncertainty. The findings extend the growing research linking physiology and communication and indicate that romantic partners’ hormone levels are associated with both their own and their partner’s perceptions of communication behavior and subsequent relational outcomes.