Positive and Negative Nonverbal Behaviors in Relationships: A Study of Relationship Satisfaction and Longevity

The majority of research that has been previously conducted has focused on the use of nonverbal behaviors, in marriages, as a way to maintain stable relationships. In this study the researchers focus is on whether there is a positive correlation between positive nonverbal behaviors and the duration of dating, committed, and martial relationships. Moreover, the researchers are examining the relationship between overall satisfaction of the relationship and the use of positive nonverbal behaviors. The research found significant findings in two factors, longevity of the relationship and overall relationship satisfaction, which are positively correlated to the use of positive nonverbal behaviors. The findings of this study are significant and pertinent to the field communication studies because it shows that an increased use in positive nonverbal behaviors will help increase relationship satisfaction. Jessica Spott, Colleen Pyle, & Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter 31 Activities, in which people in committed non-marital, romantic relationships engage in order to achieve liking, satisfaction, and immediacy, have been the focus of recent communication studies (Dainton, 2009). There has been a major gap in the focus of nonverbal behaviors in relationships, the duration of the relationship because of these liking behaviors, and the overall satisfaction of the relationship. The goal of this research is to find a direct correlation between perceived positive nonverbal behaviors and the duration of dating, committed, and marital relationships. “Given that nearly half of all marriages end in divorce (Goldstein, 1999), a better understanding of how couples can maintain healthy, happy marriages is critical” (Weigel & Ballard-Reisch, 2008, pp.220). The majority of research that has been previously conducted has focused on the use of nonverbal behaviors, in marriages, as a way to maintain stable relationships. In this study the researchers focus is on whether there is a positive correlation between positive nonverbal behaviors and the duration of dating, committed, and martial relationships. Moreover, the researchers are examining the relationship between overall satisfaction of the relationship and the use of positive nonverbal behaviors. Relationship maintenance is defined as “behaviors enacted by relational partners in order to sustain desired relational characteristics such as satisfaction” (Dainton, 2008, pp. 35), and nonverbal communication is defined as “the use of interacting sets of visual, vocal, and invisible communication systems and subsystems by communicators with systematic encoding and decoding of symbols and signs for the purposes of exchanging consensual meanings in specific communicative contexts” (Leathers & Eaves, 2008, pp. 11).Relational satisfaction is determined by what an individual actually experiences and what he or she expects to experience (Dainton, 2000). It is beneficial to the field of Communication Studies to determine whether there is a correlation between the longevity and the use of positive nonverbal behaviors in order to see whether positive nonverbal behaviors result in an increase in overall relationship satisfaction. This paper hopes to prove that longer the relationship, the more those within the relationship will use positive nonverbal behaviors, and that there is a positive correlation between the use of positive nonverbal behaviors and overall relationship satisfaction. Various methodologies have previously been utilized to measure nonverbal behaviors. For instance, Sabatelli et al. (1982) “found that women were more accurate senders of nonverbal messages, using a method based on Buck’s Communication of Affect Receiving Ability Test (1976)”, (Noller & Feeney, 1994, pp. 200). Moreover, the work of Gottman and Porterfield (1981) looked at the correlation between marital satisfaction and the nonverbal accuracy of husbands (Noller & Feeney, 1994, pp. 200). Various methodologies have pointed to the correlation in nonverbal maintenance behaviors and the satisfaction of the relationship; This paper hopes to provide one step further to analyze the correlation between the uses of positive nonverbal behaviors and the duration, and satisfaction of the relationship. Research has primarily focused on whether or not participants used nonverbal behaviors such as “touching, smiling, and making eye contact” (Hinkle, 1998, p82) within their relationships. According to Weiner and Mehrabian (1968) there is a strong observed relationship between immediacy behaviors and liking (Hinkle, 1998). This paper will examine the relationship between nonverbal behaviors and overall satisfaction of the relationship to see if there is a correlation between nonverbal behaviors that increase liking and longevity of the relationship. Recent research proves that “the more an individual perceived his or her partner as using maintenance behaviors relative to his/her own expectations, the more satisfied the individual was with the relationship” (Dainton, 2000, pp. 831). This research validates a 32 Nonverbal Behaviors in Relationships correlation between reciprocity and liking within a relationship, it is not necessarily the goal of this particular study to elaborate upon the notion of reciprocity and liking but it is mentioned here as a priority for future research in determining a possible correlation between reciprocity and longevity of relationships. Literature Review Past research has studied the different maintenance strategies within romantic relationships that prompt relational satisfaction, based on nonverbal communication and cues between the couple (Dainton, 2009). The focus of this paper is not only to focus on nonverbal behaviors that support relational satisfaction, but decipher whether there is a positive correlation between the use of positive nonverbal behaviors and the length and overall satisfaction of the relationship to help those in dating, committed, and marital relationships measure value of their relationship. According to the Theory of Planned Behavior, the desire and efficacy of communication can lead to prediction of people’s desire to talk about an underlying issue in the relationship (Jang & Yoo, 2007). This implies that the more people in relationships discuss those things they want to avoid; the more likely they are to value the relationship as important. Research on the value of a relationship is vital to this study because of the attitude towards the behaviors of the other person in the relationship. Dainton (2008) noted that individuals should pay more attention to maintenance because romantic relationships have not received enough attention. The objective of this study is to analyze how couples engaging in dating, committed, and/or marital relationships will be equipped with the insight to recognize they can use nonverbal behaviors to increase the overall satisfaction of a relationship. According to the article, Maintenance behaviors, Expectations for Maintenance & Satisfaction: linking comparison levels to relational maintenance strategies relational satisfaction was calculated by the difference of an experience versus what the person is expecting the experience to be. The five maintenance techniques that are used in this study are positivity, openness, assurances, social networks and sharing tasks (Dainton, 2000).From these measures of relational maintenance the researcher used the notion of positivity in the current study to show how positive nonverbal behaviors result in successful relationships. Furthermore, this study will help people in relationships recognize the importance in the use of positive nonverbal behaviors as a tool in increasing the overall satisfaction within dating, committed, or marital relationships. This study focused on whether or not people in relationships use positive and negative nonverbal behaviors. The main goal of this study is to see the use of positive and negative nonverbal behaviors in various situational instances. Research have been done analyzing the use of immediacy in romantic relationships; however, nonverbal communication in dating, committed, or marital relationships, regarding longevity and the overall satisfaction of the relationship, is not abundantly found. In an article called, Patterns of Nonverbal Behavior and Sensitivity in the Context of Attachment Relationships, the researchers look primary at the attachment of infants to adults, as well as assessing interpersonal sensitivity, instead of the actual nonverbal behaviors that were used (Schacher, Shaver, & Mikulincer, 2005). The article also discusses the need for future research on adult’s nonverbal behaviors when it says, “Research should also explore the effects of a partner’s nonverbal expression skills and sensitivity on a person’s own sense of attachment security, in the short run and over time, as the relationship develops.” (Schacher, Shaver & Mikulincer, 2005, pp. 164). This information is essential in understanding the rational for the current study. The researchers are following up on the research that Schacher, Shaver and Mikulincer began. Jessica Spott, Colleen Pyle, & Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter 33 Although the present research is using a self-reflexive method of gathering information, an article about equity and interdependence shows the researchers the accuracy by which people are able to understand and interpret the nonverbal communication that another person portrays (Stafford & Canary, 2006). Stafford and Canary say, “Our purpose was to discover the factor structure of relational maintenance behaviors, not the factor structure of additional items concerning equity, satisfaction, or biological sex” (2006, p. 236). Where the study of Stafford and Canary are lacking, the research done by Rosip and Hall (2004) is applicable. Within this research, the participants are evaluated on how well they can identify and decode nonverbal cues. The measurement in this study was to differentiate between the use of males and females and their use of nonverbal cues. This research proves that females are better at identifying and understanding the meaning of nonverbal cues (Rosip & Hall, 2004). This study is very useful for the current researchers, because all nonverbal cues and behaviors are being measured. The present study will not focus on the differences between males and females however, the information will be gathered through the survey. If significant differences occur, this information could be used in future research or to come to more conclusions about nonverbal behaviors and communication. Rationale Research indicates that there is a correlation between nonverbal behaviors and the duration of marital relationships (Weigel & Ballard-Reisch, 1999).The researchers wish to take this further to determine the correlation between nonverbal behaviors and duration in dating, committed, or marital relationships, as well as nonverbal behaviors in relation to overall relationship satisfaction. The perceived use of nonverbal behaviors can be very different from the actual use of nonverbal behaviors, this will be important to differentiate. The more nonverbal behaviors that a couple uses, and the more often they are used, there is an expected increase of the duration of the relationship. Through this expected correlation, the researchers will be able to understand if there is a difference in dynamic between dating, non-marital relationships and marital relationships. If a difference exists in actual use of nonverbal behaviors, there should be an increase in duration of relationship. Along with this study, the differences in nonverbal behaviors should make a difference in the length of a relationship. Based on these studies, the following hypotheses were developed: H1: A couples’ perceived use of nonverbal behaviors will be positively correlated with the duration of dating relationships. H2: As the length of the relationship increases the use of negative nonverbal behaviors decrease. H3: As the longevity of the relationship increases so does the relational satisfaction. Method Participants The participants in this study were recruited from a large southwestern university through various undergraduate communication studies courses, and 219 undergraduate students 18 years or older were sampled. There were 83 males and 79 females sampled. Of those students surveyed 51 were freshmen, 39 were sophomores, 29 were juniors, and 43 were seniors. Out of students surveyed, 66 students listed their relationship status as single, 45 as dating, 48 as committed, and 3 as married. The researchers discarded 57 surveys due to the fact that they were incomplete, but received 162 valid and complete surveys. The benefit of being a participant in this study is participants became more fully aware of the importance of nonverbal relationship maintenance behaviors in relationships. 34 Nonverbal Behaviors in Relationships Measurements The measurement instrument was 26 questions in total, and utilized a 7-point Likert-type scale. The scale pattern is from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The participants were asked to mark the box according to how they felt about each statement. The first five questions were demographic type questions. Questions 6-24 measured nonverbal behaviors and relationship satisfaction on a Likert-type scale. The final two questions were aimed at discovering the history of the relationship. Procedures The questionnaire was administered during several different class periods for extra credit. This survey was handed out, and later collected. The students were told that participation in the survey was not mandatory, they could stop at any time, and their identities were to remain anonymous. The 26 item measurement tool is based on a study called, Measuring routine and strategic relational maintenance: Scale revision, sex versus gender roles, and the prediction of relational characteristic.(Stafford, Dainton, 2000) This study looks at the different relational maintenance patterns that are being used in different dynamics, and how the participants selfreflect about the relational maintenance techniques that were used (Stafford, Dainton, 2000). After the data was collected, the researchers analyzed the data by imputing it into SPSS in order to find patterns and correlations between the data. The dependent variables measured were gender, classification, and status of relationship, living arrangement, and length of relationships. The independent variables measured were positive nonverbal behaviors, negative nonverbal behaviors and relationship satisfaction. These variables were measured to see if there was a positive correlation between the use of positive nonverbal behaviors and the duration of the relationship. Appendix A shows the breakdown of questions the researchers asked in order to determine the positive and negative nonverbal relationship behaviors used in relationships, and the overall relational satisfaction. Results It was hypothesized that couples’ perceived use of nonverbal behaviors will be positively correlated with the duration of dating relationships. This hypothesis was proven. Regarding research question one Pearson correlations between positive nonverbal behaviors and duration or longevity of the relationship (.230**) resulted in a significant correlation (.003). Table 1 shows the correlation between length and positive nonverbal behaviors within dating, committed and marital relationships. This is the most significant findings from the research gathered. It also shows that after six months to a year of being in the relationship more positive nonverbal behaviors are displayed. The second research hypothesis observed the phenomenon that as the length of the relationship increases the use of negative nonverbal behaviors decreases. Using the Pearson correlation there was .062 between length and negative nonverbal behaviors with .432 significance. These findings were not found to be significant. Although this specific research did not prove this research question, future research could be done to provide more information on this phenomenon. It is interesting to note that the first hypothesis is opposite of the second hypothesis, and yet only one of the hypothesis was proven to have significant findings. A questionnaire that was more focused on negative nonverbal immediacy behaviors could further validate the first research question, and could provide more information on the second research question. This would also help to triangulate the study and provide well rounded information regarding results. Jessica Spott, Colleen Pyle, & Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter 35