Positive couple interactions and daily cortisol: On the stress-protecting role of intimacy
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether intimacy might be associated with reduced daily salivary cortisol levels in couples, thereby adding to the epidemiologic literature on reduced health burden in happy couples. METHODS: A total of 51 dual-earner couples reported time spent on intimacy, stated their current affect quality, and provided saliva samples for cortisol estimation approximately every 3 hours in a 1-week time-sampling assessment. In addition, participants provided data on chronic problems of work organization. RESULTS: Multilevel analyses revealed that intimacy was significantly associated with reduced daily salivary cortisol levels. There was an interaction effect of intimacy with chronic problems of work organization in terms of their relationship with cortisol levels, suggesting a buffering effect of intimacy on work-related elevated cortisol levels. Above this, the association between intimacy and cortisol was mediated by positive affect. Intimacy and affect together explained 7% of daily salivary cortisol variance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are in line with previous studies on the effect of intimacy on cortisol stress responses in the laboratory as well as with epidemiologic data on health beneficial effects of happy marital relationships.
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Intranasal administration of OT reduces negative behavior during couple conflict.
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From Oxytocin and the development of parenting in humans (2010) · cites this paper as [19]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Ditzen, B., Hoppmann, C., & Klumb, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Zurich (CH)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Ditzen, Beate
- Venue
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Published
- 2008-10
- Volume
- 70
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 883-889
- ISSN
- 0033-3174 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2086124458
- Cited by
- 242
- References
- 70
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 73 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 6.69
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.zora.uzh.ch
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Psychosomatic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Keywords
- intimacy, salivary cortisol, stress buffering, couples, marital relationships, positive affect, occupational stress, dual-earner couples
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Affect, Arousal, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Male, Marriage, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Stress, Psychological
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