Our research is motivated by a desire to understand how important emotional and interpersonal processes, which are typically assumed to apply to all people, may instead differ across people in meaningful ways. We are particularly interested in individual differences in people’s approaches to and experiences in close relationships; how these differences develop and change over time and across the lifespan; and the implications of these differences for interpersonal, dyadic, and physiological outcomes. We approach these issues from an integrative, multidisciplinary perspective, incorporating measures of biological markers (e.g., hormones) and cognitive processes (e.g., memory), as well as dyadic and longitudinal data analytic techniques, to address meaningful questions about human behavior.
Many of our recent projects focus on links between hormones and romantic relationship processes (e.g., Chin et al., 2021; Edelstein et al., 2019). For instance, we have assessed changes in hormones and adjustment among couples during the transition to first-time parenthood. Our findings suggest that both expectant mothers and fathers show reliable changes in hormones, such as testosterone and estradiol, during the prenatal period (Edelstein et al., 2015). Moreover, these changes are linked with postpartum parenting behavior and relationship satisfaction in both parents (Edelstein et al., 2017; Saxbe et al., 2017; Sim et al., 2020). We also collected data from expectant lesbian couples to assess their unique experiences during the prenatal period, including the physiological implications of this major life transition; our findings suggest that changes in hormones predict similar outcomes in this population as well (Chin et al., 2020).
In a related line of work, we assessed hormone changes in couples as a function of emotional intimacy. In one study, couples came to the lab for an emotionally intimate (or control) discussion, and we assessed changes in testosterone and cortisol as a function of the discussion (Chin et al., 2021). We found that both hormones increased following emotionally intimate discussions, and these increases were at least partially mediated by the participants’ degree of self-disclosure. This was a somewhat unexpected finding, given that testosterone (and to a lesser extent, cortisol) tend to decrease in nurturant contexts; however, we suspect that our findings may be due to the novelty or excitement of the lab discussion. We are currently thinking about ways to test these alternative explanations with other kinds of interaction tasks that may better distinguish among novelty, emotional intimacy, and excitement.
Other projects focus on the interpersonal and physiological implications of racial discrimination in same- and mixed-raced couples (e.g., From et al., 2024), the effects of gender-based social movements on interpersonal relationships, links between conflict, health, and sleep in romantic relationships, and positivity effects in memory.
Lab News
GRADUATE STUDENT NEWS!
Janae Sayler won an honorable mention from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program!
Becky Dileo received an award from Evolution and Human Adaptation Program to support her research on stress, health, and romantic relationships!
Nazanin Kafaee received the 2024 Jenessa Shapiro Graduate Research Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology to support her research on the effects of social movements on changes in attitudes and interpersonal relationships!
Annika From won the 2024 Psychology Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award!
Rachel Brandon received the 2023-24 Irene and William Gambrill Fellowship from the School of Social Work!
CONGRATULATIONS, everyone!!
NEW LAB PAPERS!
From, A., Banks, J., & Edelstein, R. S. (2024). Partner support behaviors and relationship quality in interracial and intraracial black romantic relationships. Personal Relationships, 9, 796-815.
Sim, L., Ip, K. I., Ascigil, E., Edelstein, R. S., & Lee, F. (2024). Cross-cultural differences in supportive responses to positive event disclosure. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 19, 277–290.
Edelstein, R. S. (2022). Testosterone tradeoffs in close relationships. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 65, 235-280.
