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The present study contributes to a growing line of research exploring the associations between physiology and communication behavior. Specifically, this study investigated the influence of testosterone (T) on perceptions of partners' accommodative and nonaccommodative behaviors during a conversation about a relational stressor, and their subsequent association with satisfaction with the conversation. One hundred individuals participated in the study, which included a pre-survey, lab visit, and post-survey. Results revealed that for women, T was negatively associated with perceived partner accommodation and satisfaction with the conversation. Findings uncovered significant mediation effects of women's perceived partner (non)accommodation, while revealing several partner effects. Furthermore, the study found that satisfaction with the conversation was positively predicted by partner accommodation and negatively predicted by partner nonaccommodation for both women and men. These results indicate the utility of communication accommodation theory in examining conflict conversations and imply that T may influence communicative behaviors during conversation about a relational stressor.

Research has identified that writing can help individuals find forgiveness for their romantic partners in the wake of relational transgressions, but little is known about the actual narrative components that bring about changes in forgiveness. The current study sought to investigate the narrative components that contribute to month-long changes in forgiveness for romantic partners who have recently experienced a relational transgression. It also sought to uncover emotional and biological mechanisms that can help account for the associations between narrative components and forgiveness outcomes. The results revealed components of narratives that may both contribute to an increase and decrease in forgiveness over the course of one-month. Additionally, emotional expression and testosterone were identified as potential mediators and moderators of the associations between narrative components and changes in forgiveness.

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Sexual communication is a pivotal part of interpersonal relationships; recent research reveals associations between sexual communication and various relational outcomes. Within the broad domain of sexual communication, current scholarship specifically addresses the role of postsex communication in relationships and its links to physiological and genetic markers. Given these advancements, the present chapter offers an overview of research linking physiology, hormones, and genes to communication after sexual activity. The chapter first presents reviews of two key hormones in sexual communication research: testosterone (T) and oxytocin (O). The oxytocin receptor gene and its link to social behavior broadly, and sexual behavior specifically, is also explored. The chapter then offers a review of several theories relevant to understanding the hormonal underpinnings of sexual communication, as well as future directions for research exploring sexual communication and physiology.