Savoring positive events in couple life: Impacts on relationship quality and dyadic adjustment

Abstract

Savoring is as an emotion regulation process that moderates the effect of positive events on positive feelings and helps people to generate, maintain, and increase their positive emotional experiences. Savoring processes are expected to have an impact on romantic relationships, although no study has yet been conducted. Using self-reported data from 473 adults in a conjugal relationship, this study investigated the predictive value of savoring strategies regarding relationship quality and dyadic adjustment; and whether savoring responses moderate the relationship between positive events in couplehood and the relational outcomes. Counting blessings, feeling relieved, memory building, and kill-joy thinking strategies predict several relational dimensions. Moderation analyses highlight that the behavioral expression, counting blessings, and memory building strategies affect positive events’ impact on several relational outcomes. Given the suggested role of savoring strategies in partners’ relational well-being, we believe that this issue may be targeted in marital counseling or training programs.

Keywords:

• savoring strategies
• couplehood
• positive events
• relationship quality
• dyadic adjustment

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a PhD Grant, provided by the Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal [SFRH/BD/70789/2010] awarded to the first author.