This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Swann, W. B. Articles by Rentfrow, P. J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Shelter from the storm? Flawed reactions to stress in precarious couples

University of Texas at Austin, swann{at}mail.utexas.edu

Katie Larsen McClarty

Pearson Educational Measurement

Peter J. Rentfrow

Cambridge University

Past research suggests that relationship quality is low in "precarious couples," those in which the woman is both critical and more verbally disinhibited than her male partner. Such diminished relationship quality may compromise the capacity of precarious couples to cope with stressors. To test this hypothesis, we exposed 67 married women to an experimentally induced stressor, reunited them with their husbands, and examined the subsequent physiological reactions of both partners. Interacting with one's spouse after the stress-induction procedure resulted in relatively low heart rates among most people, but men in precarious couples displayed elevated levels of arousal. Apparently, for men in precarious couples, interacting with a recently stressed partner is itself stressful, which could ultimately compromise physical health.

Key Words: blirtatiousness • health • heart rate • personality • precarious couple • relationships

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?