methodologies

What predicts how satisfied you will be with your relationship partner? This was the question tackled by Joel et al in a 2020 meta analysis of 43 longitudinal couples studies over an average of 14 months. Spoiler alert – it turns out that none of the (self-reported) indicators tracked in these studies were predictive of whether relationship quality would increase of decrease over that time period. However, the study did provide some insight into indicators that were correlated with current relational satisfaction....

While there are many couples therapy approaches in use, only a few have been subjected to repeated empirical testing. Two particularly promising treatments are Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT) and Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT). BCT originates from operant learning theory and the observation that distressed couples tend to punish each other for relationship-harming behaviors more than they reward each other for relationship-enhancing behaviors. The two main components of BCT are behavioral exchange training and communication and problem-solving skills....