High-quality romantic relationships are linked to better psychological well-being, yet adolescents and young adults vary in the quality of their romantic experiences. Socio-cognitive abilities, including empathy, emotion regulation, and theory of mind, may play a role in shaping romantic outcomes. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 26 studies to examine how these abilities relate to romantic relationship quality in adolescents and young adults, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Given the limited research on theory of mind in this population, perspective-taking was additionally included as a closely related socio-cognitive process. Findings indicate that the relational value of these abilities depends substantially on which subcomponent is engaged: empathic concern and cognitive reappraisal were consistently associated with higher relationship satisfaction and more constructive conflict resolution, while personal distress and expressive suppression showed the opposite pattern. Perspective-taking also showed consistent positive associations. Research on theory of mind in romantic contexts remains scarce, but available evidence suggests a promising role in partner well-being and emotion regulation. The review further identifies an asymmetry between actor and partner effects and addresses developmental and gender-related patterns. Overall, the review highlights the possible interdependence of socio-cognitive abilities in adolescent and young adult romantic relationships and the limited evidence available on theory of mind.
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Polak et al. (2026) studied this question.
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