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Shared Activities and Marital Satisfaction: Causal Direction and Self-Expansion versus Boredom

California Graduate School of Family Psychology

Arthur Aron

University of California, Santa Cruz

Merlynn R. Bergen

Stanford University

Fifty-three married couples were randomly assigned to engage in activities for 1.5 hours each week for 10 weeks that were self-defined as (a) exciting or (b) pleasant, or couples were in a (c) no-special-activity control group. Pretest and post-test data were obtained on a standard marital satisfaction measure (adjusted for scores on a social desirability index). A planned linear contrast comparing the two activities groups to the control group was not significant and had a small effect size; thus the theory that any kind of activity enhances marital satisfaction was not supported as an explanation for the well-established association of time together and satisfaction. However, the other planned orthogonal contrast found significantly higher satisfaction for the exciting than the pleasant group, a difference that had a moderate effect size. This finding is consistent with views emphasizing habituation as an obstacle to relationship maintenance - for example, Aron & Aron's (1986) prediction from their self-expansion model that sharing stimulating activities will enhance marital satisfaction.

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 10, No. 2, 243-254 (1993)
DOI: 10.1177/026540759301000205


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