The present study used data from the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation (MLSRA) to investigate how multiple dimensions of childhood abuse and neglect predict romantic relationship functioning in adulthood. Several dimensions of abuse and neglect (any experience, type, chronicity, co-occurrence, and perpetrator) were rated prospectively from birth through age 17.5 years. Multime...

Romantic music is considered to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Past researchers reveals that different types of music varying in tempo can have physiological effects on the body. To examine the effects of Romantic music after physical exertion, 15 male students performed a stressful, cardiovascular exercise. After performing the running exercise, participants were made listened to their ...

Coming out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) to one’s parents can be a challenging experience and may lead to acceptance or rejection. Attachment theory can help predict parents’ reactions to coming out and consequences for romantic attachment. In a crosssectional study of 309 LGB individuals, we found that those who perceived their mother as accepting in childhood were more likely to have com...

This study investigates the association between autonomic arousal in response to a relational stressor and the perpetration of relational aggression against romantic partners. In addition, the moderating role of social risk (relational victimization by a romantic partner) and cognitive risk (hostile attribution biases) was explored. Skin conductance, heart rate, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia...

Three experiments investigated the relationship between women's romantic fantasies and their interest in personal power. Romantic fantasies (associating partners with chivalry and heroism) were assessed using the Implicit Association Test and self-reports. In each experiment, women's implicit romantic fantasies were dissociated with their conscious beliefs. More important, implicit (but not exp...

Article history: Received 9 January 2016 Received in revised form 19 February 2016 Accepted 20 February 2016 Available online 1 March 2016 Researchers of romantic relationships have highlighted the role of forgiveness in relationshipmaintenance. However, to our knowledge, there has not yet been a study conducted to examine the relationship between forgiveness and romantic relationship dissoluti...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether using the Internet for different activities affects the quality of close adolescent relationships (i.e., best friendships and romantic relationships). In a one-year longitudinal study of 884 adolescents (Mean age = 15, 46% male), we examined whether visiting chat rooms, using ICQ, using the Internet for general entertainment, or participating i...

The majority of teens are having sex, however, we know little about the patterns of nonromantic sexual activity and the factors associated with non-romantic sexual experiences. In fact, prior work indicates that contraceptive use depends on the relationship context of sexual intercourse. Yet, research on the characteristics of teens who engage in non-romantic sex is limited. We use the National...

Five studies develop and examine the predictive validity of an implicit measure of the preference for physical attractiveness in a romantic partner. Three hypotheses were generally supported. First, 2 variants of the go/no-go association task revealed that participants, on average, demonstrate an implicit preference (i.e., a positive spontaneous affective reaction) for physical attractiveness i...

Researchers have previously reported a negative association between romantic involvement and the discrepancy between the actual self and the ideal self. The authors present a schema-based model of romantic involvement and self-discrepancy to help explain this association, focusing on the impact of terminated relationships—“ghosts from the past.” In Study 1, participants primed with a past relat...