When Spouses Talk to Each Other about their Relationship

A study of 42 married couples addressed the questions: (1) What effect does talking about their relationship have on perceptions of spouses' feelings of contentment; (2) Does talking about the relationship affect spouses differently in different situations? Subjects read stories about pleasant and unpleasant interactions between married couples who either talked or did not talk about their relationship. Subjects rated characters' feelings of contentment after each story. Relationship talk appeared to have a positive effect on subjects' ratings of the fictional couples' feelings. How much the ratings were affected by such talk seemed to depend on which partner was talking and whether the story was pleasant or unpleasant. Results are discussed in light of previous research on attributions in married couples. Recommendations for future research suggest a closer examination of gender differences in talking about relationships and finding out when such talk is beneficial to a marriage.