Steady State
Playing the field or locking down a partner?: Perceptions of available romantic partners and commitment readiness
Ashlyn Brady et al.
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
People often consider how ready they feel for a committed romantic relationship before initiating one. Although research has only begun to identify the antecedents of commitment readiness, several theoretical perspectives suggest that it should be shaped by the perceived frequency of available partners. We conducted five studies (one correlational, four experimental) that tested this idea among single people. A Pilot Study assessed participants' perceptions of available romantic partners and their commitment readiness. In the subsequent four experiments, participants read articles (Studies 1a and 1b) or created dating profiles and were presented with false feedback (Studies 2 and 3) that influenced perceptions of available partners and reported their commitment readiness. Results suggested that people were less ready to commit to a romantic relationship to the extent that they perceived they had many partners available to them. These results further understanding of factors that promote the decision to initiate a committed relationship
Pandemic Shortfall in Marriages and Divorces in the United States
Krista Westrick-Payne, Wendy Manning & Lisa Carlson
Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, April 2022
Abstract:
Prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, marriage and divorce had been in decline across the United States. As more data are released, evidence mounts that this pattern has persisted, and in some states been magnified, during the pandemic. The authors compared the change in yearly marriage and divorce counts prior to the beginning of the pandemic (change from 2018 to 2019) to estimate an expected number of marriages and divorces for 2020. By computing a P score on the basis of expected and observed marriages and divorces in 2020, the authors determined whether individual states experienced shortfalls or surpluses of marital events. Of the 20 states with available data on marriages, 18 experienced shortfalls (exceptions included Missouri and North Dakota), for an overall sample shortfall of nearly 11 percent. Regarding divorces, 31 of the 35 states with available data also experienced shortfalls (exceptions included Hawaii, Wyoming, Arizona, and Washington), for an overall sample shortfall of 12 percent.
A Gender-Based Generational Comparison of Sexual Behaviors Adolescents Engage in Prior to First Coitus
Israel Schwartz & Edward Coffield
Sexuality Research and Social Policy, June 2022, Pages 521–529
Background:
Comparing two convenience samples of college students in the northeastern region of the USA, this study sought to examine, by gender, whether there has been a change over the past two decades in the type and frequency of sexual behaviors heterosexual emerging adults report engaging in prior to their first coitus.
Methods:
Sexual behaviors engaged in prior to coital initiation were extracted from our 2018 survey of college students (n = 293) and compared to published results from a similar survey conducted in 1995/1996 (n = 311). Mean comparisons and chi-square tests were used to evaluate gender differences among the 2018 cohort, and equality of proportion tests were used to compare the 2018 and 1995/1996 cohorts.
Results:
Overall, a higher percentage of respondents in the 2018 cohort reported engaging in precoital activity as compared to the 1995/1996 cohort. Specifically, relative to the 1995/1996 cohort, masturbation significantly increased among both males and females; caressing partner’s genitals or giving oral sex significantly increased in frequency among females, and receiving oral sex significantly increased in frequency among males. A salient finding of this study is that the rate of increase in precoital sexual activity was greater among females than it was among males.
Hormonal Contraception Use and Sexual Frequency across Young Women’s Intimate Relationships
Shari Blumenstock & Jennifer Barber
Journal of Sex Research, forthcoming
Abstract:
We examined whether hormonal contraception (HC) use predicts sexual frequency throughout and across young women’s intimate relationships. From 2008–2012, the Relationships Dynamics and Social Life Study collected weekly surveys over 2.5 years, and included 893 women (aged 18–19 at baseline) who reported 2,547 intimate relationships across 32,736 weeks. Three-level logistic multilevel models assessed the weekly probability of sexual intercourse based on 1) weekly HC use (vs. nonuse) and 2) duration of HC use, both accounting for several relational and individual characteristics, including relationship duration. Women had more frequent sexual intercourse when they were using HC than when they were not (predicted probabilities .65 vs .41). The weekly probability of sexual intercourse increased sharply within the first month of HC initiation (by about 27 percentage points), remained high for several months, then began to slowly decline (yet remained above that of nonuse). When separated by method type, similar trajectories were found for the pill, ring, and IUD/implant; following the initial increase, steeper declines in intercourse frequency were found for the contraceptive injectable, eventually dropping below pre-initiation levels. Findings signify the immediate influence of reduced pregnancy fears in facilitating sexual intercourse among young women, which may decline as HC use continues long-term.
Affectionate Touch Promotes Shared Positive Activities
Brett Jakubiak, Julian Fuentes & Brooke Feeney
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, forthcoming
Abstract:
Shared positive activities, such as engaging conversations and interactive play, enhance relationships and buffer the consequences of negative interactions. The current research tested whether affectionate touch (a prime target for intervention) encourages people to prioritize other shared positive activities and to view shared activities more positively. In a pre-registered dyadic diary study of married couples (Study 1), greater affectionate touch on one day predicted increases in shared positive activities concurrently and prospectively. In a pre-registered dyadic experiment (Study 2), a brief affectionate touch intervention increased self-reported (but not observer-rated) shared positive activities immediately and increased shared positive activities over the following week for people who do not typically engage in such activities. Participants assigned to touch (particularly those low in attachment anxiety) also perceived their partners more positively during shared activities. These results suggest that touch may facilitate positive relationship experiences broadly and supports a theoretical model of affectionate touch.