Figure 1. Reference levels of the different emotional meta-precision components for each type of interaction: (A) Normative levels of emotional meta-precision. (B) Distinctive levels of metaprecision of emotions in interactions. Credit: DOI: 10.1177/01461672211068225
A study by researchers at McGill University sheds new light on the importance of emotion perception in romantic relationships. McGill’s team found that regardless of how an individual is actually feeling, knowing that their partner sees their emotions as a typical reaction to a given situation can lead to better relationships within a couple, especially in conflict situations.
The research was led by Lauren Human, a professor in the Department of Psychology, and members of her team in the Social Perception and Interaction Laboratory, Ph.D. candidates Hasagani Tissera and Jennifer Heyman. The researchers surveyed 189 romantic partners to discover how emotional meta-accuracy is the ability to correctly understand a romantic partner’s impressions of the quality of the momentary relationship that itself is affected.
“We were interested in understanding how our beliefs about how we are viewed by others affect the quality of our relationships,” said Tissera, Ph.D. candidate and main author of the article.
“No matter why you feel a certain way, interactions within a couple are likely to be more positive when you know your romantic partner sees your emotions similarly to how a typical person would feel in a given situation,” Tissera said. .
Remain ‘blissfully unaware’
The McGill researchers found that, in general, couples were better able to deal with conflict when they knew how their partner viewed their emotions.
Furthermore, the study suggests that “remaining blissfully unaware of unique impressions” can lead to better relationship quality at the moment. “Or, to put it another way, if you know that your romantic partner sees that you’re angry for a reason that’s unique to your experience and not based on how the average person might feel, it’s likely to damage your relationship, at least in that sense”. moment,” Tissera said.
The romantic partners surveyed were mostly heterosexual, and most were recruited from across the McGill campus. The average age of the participants was 23 years. The researchers asked their subjects to engage in three different types of interactions: the pairs were asked to engage in neutral, unstructured conversation; then, they were asked to talk about something they disagreed with; finally, they struck up a positive conversation. They were then surveyed about their own emotions and their partners’ perception of their emotions.
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Read your partner’s emotions when it helps and when it hurts More information: Hasagani Tissera et al, Do People Know How Their Romantic Partner Views Their Emotions? Meta-accuracy evidence for emotions and links to momentary romantic relationship quality, Personality, and Social Psychology Bulletin (2022). DOI: 10.1177/01461672211068225 Diary information: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Provided by McGill University Date: Understanding How Your Romantic Partner Views Your Emotions Can Help Couples Cope With Conflict (2022, Feb 14) Retrieved Aug 29, 2022 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-02-romantic-partner- emotions-couples-cope.html This document is subject to copyright. Other than any fair dealing for private study or research purposes, no part may be reproduced without written permission. The content is provided for informational purposes only.