Spontaneous suppression in dating couples: Social and physiological correlates of suppressing negative and positive emotions during negative and positive conversations.

Suppression (i.e., inhibiting one's emotional expression) has typically been associated with social and physiological costs. However, recent theorizing calls into question the inevitability of these costs. The present study takes a more nuanced approach and examines the social and physiological correlates of spontaneous (i.e., uninstructed) suppression when considering two potentially critical factors: the valence of the suppressed emotions (i.e., negative vs. positive) and the valence of the emotional context in which emotions are suppressed (i.e., negative conversation vs. positive conversation). Specifically, dating couples (N = 196 couples) completed both a negatively-valenced and a positively-valenced conversation in the laboratory while their autonomic-physiological responses were recorded. After each conversation, participants rated 1) the extent to which they had suppressed their negative and positive emotions, 2) the quality of the conversation, and 3) how connected they felt with their partner. We used Actor-Partner Interdependence Models to estimate actor effects (e.g., association of one's own suppression and one's own connectedness) and partner effects (e.g., association of one's partner's suppression and one's own connectedness). Suppression was associated with lower conversation quality and connectedness for the actors but largely not for the partners, regardless of the valence of the suppressed emotions and of the context, even when adjusting for felt emotion. Additionally, suppression was consistently not associated with physiological responses of actors or partners. Together, these findings suggest that, during emotional conversations with one's romantic partner, spontaneous (unlike instructed) suppression is associated with social but not physiological costs for the self but not one's partner.

Empirical audit and review and an assessment of evidentiary value in research on the psychological consequences of scarcity.

Empirical audit and review is an approach to assessing the evidentiary value of a research area. It involves identifying a topic and selecting a cross-section of studies for replication. We apply the method to research on the psychological consequences of scarcity. Starting with the papers citing a seminal publication in the field, we conducted replications of 20 studies that evaluate the role of scarcity priming in pain sensitivity, resource allocation, materialism, and many other domains. There was considerable variability in the replicability, with some strong successes and other undeniable failures. Empirical audit and review does not attempt to assign an overall replication rate for a heterogeneous field, but rather facilitates researchers seeking to incorporate strength of evidence as they refine theories and plan new investigations in the research area. This method allows for an integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches to review and enables the growth of a cumulative science.

Is vicarious stress functionally adaptive? Perspective-taking modulates the effects of vicarious stress on future firsthand stress.

Mere observation of others experiencing stress is often sufficient to evoke stress vicariously, especially when people try to understand the situation from the viewpoint of others. Here, we tested whether and how the experience of vicarious stress, facilitated by perspective-taking, would influence individuals' affective and motivational reactions to an upcoming experience of firsthand stress-when they themselves encounter the same stressor in the future. Participants viewed a video clip of another participant undergoing a stressful task (a speech task), after being randomly assigned to take either a first-person perspective of the person (perspective-taking condition; n = 45) or maintain a detached, third-person, observer perspective (objective condition; n = 46). Subsequently, participants were given a surprise speech task and asked to prepare for their own speech for 2 minutes, during which their cardiovascular responses were assessed to differentiate motivational states of challenge or threat. Compared to participants in the objective condition, those in the perspective-taking condition perceived higher levels of stress in anticipation of giving a speech. The heightened stress appraisals, in turn, were associated with a more adaptive pattern of cardiovascular reactivity to the firsthand (relative to vicarious) stressor, characterized as challenge responses (an increase in cardiac output and a decrease in total peripheral resistance). These results suggest that perspective-taking enhances sensitivity to vicarious stress, which in turn, may facilitate preparedness for future stressors. Discussion centers on the functional adaptiveness of vicarious stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Sleep and social relationships in healthy populations: A systematic review.

Over the past decade, research linking sleep and social relationships has burgeoned. Researchers across the globe are trying to understand whether the quality and quantity of our social relationships matter for sleep, and vice versa. We conducted a systematic review of the literature, identifying over 200 relevant articles examining sleep and social relationships in healthy populations. Here, we summarize our findings by reviewing 1) links between sleep and broad social ties across the lifespan, and 2) links between sleep and specific social relationships identified in the literature search, including romantic relationships, family relationships, and work relationships. Taken together, the literature provides evidence that the quality and presence of social relationships, especially our closest relationships, play a role in how we sleep. Likewise, sleep appears to influence our social bonds. However, the majority of work is correlational, limiting conclusions about the directionality of these effects. We conclude by synthesizing the findings, considering the limitations of the present literature, and identifying key future directions for this emerging area of research.