Daily Relatedness Predicts Positive Shifts in World Beliefs: Implications for Psychological Well-Being and Affective Tendencies

Primal world beliefs – beliefs about the general character of the world – are associated with a variety of indicators of well-being, but little is known regarding the predictors of changes in these beliefs. In the current research, we examined the role of daily relatedness – rewarding, intimate, and responsive interactions in day-to-day life – in predicting change in primal world beliefs over a year. In a dyadic study of romantic couples (N = 235 couples and 6,411 daily observations), daily general relationship quality, high-quality interactions with strong ties (i.e., close or familiar interaction partners), and satisfaction and responsiveness within romantic relationships were associated with seeing the world as generally better and more Enticing a year later. In addition, these positive shifts in world beliefs partially explained the prospective effects of daily relatedness on greater well-being and lower depressed affect. This research provides novel support for retrospective models of world belief change, specifically with regard to mundane interpersonal experiences, and suggests that positive shifts in world beliefs may be one of the processes that explains the psychological benefits of relatedness.