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Couples' shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality.
Abstract
Using a newspaper questionnaire, a door-to-door survey, and 3 laboratory experiments, the authors examined a proposed effect of shared participation in novel and arousing activities on experienced relationship quality. The questionnaire and survey studies found predicted correlations of reported shared "exciting" activities and relationship satisfaction plus their predicted mediation by relationship boredom. In all 3 experiments, the authors found predicted greater increases in experienced relationship quality from before to after participating together in a 7-min novel and arousing (vs. a more mundane) task. Comparison with a no-activity control showed the effect was due to the novel-arousing task. The same effect was found on ratings of videotaped discussions before and after the experimental task. Finally, all results remained after controlling for relationship social desirability. Results bear on general issues of boredom and excitement in relationships and the role of such processes in understanding the typical early decline of relationship quality after the honeymoon period.
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“Social play, with its shared amusement, excitement, and smiles, builds lasting social bonds and attachments (Aron, Norman, Aron, McKenna, & Heyman, 2000; Lee, 1983; Simons, McCluskey-Fawcett, & Papini, 1986), which can become the locus of subsequent social support.”
From The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. (2001) · cites this paper as Aron, Norman, Aron, McKenna, & Heyman, 2000
In the citing paper
“Being playful, for instance, can build physical resources (Boulton & Smith, 1992), social resources (Aron, Norman, Aron, McKenna, & Heyman, 2000;Lee, 1983), and intellectual resources (Leslie, 1987;Panksepp, 1998).”
From The Undoing Effect of Positive Emotions (2000) · cites this paper as Aron et al., 2000
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Metadata
- Authors
- Aron, A., Norman, C. C., Aron, E. N., McKenna, C., & Heyman, R. E.
- Affiliations
- Stony Brook University (US)
- Kaiser Permanente (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 2000
- Volume
- 78
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 273-284
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2076102104
- Cited by
- 681
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 137 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 22
- FWCI
- 8.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Marriage and Sexual Relationships
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Keywords
- couples, relationship quality, relationship satisfaction, shared activities, romantic relationships, honeymoon period, relationship decline, social desirability
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Arousal, Boredom, Exploratory Behavior, Female, Humans, Male, Marriage, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Behavior, Spouses
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