Transactive goal dynamics (TGD) theory conceptualizes 2 or more interdependent people as 1 single self-regulating system. Six tenets describe the nature of goal interdependence, predict its emergence, predict when it will lead to positive goal outcomes during and after the relationship, and predict the consequences for the relationship. Both partners in a TGD system possess and pursue self-oriented, partner-oriented, and system-oriented goals, and all of these goals and pursuits are interdependent. TGD theory states that relationship partners' goals, pursuit, and outcomes affect each other in a dense network of goal interdependence, ultimately becoming so tightly linked that the 2 partners are most accurately conceptualized as components within a single self-regulating system.

Cross-sectional analyses have shown increased obesogenic behaviors and a potential for weight gain during COVID-19 related peak-lockdown (March–May 2020), but longitudinal data are lacking. This study assessed longitudinal changes in body weight and lifestyle behaviors in the US adults during the pandemic. Methods: We used Qualtrics survey to collect self-reported data on body weight, dietary, physical activity, and psychological variables (n = 727) during the peak-lockdown (April/May) and at post-lockdown (September/October). Peak-lockdown weight data were categorized based on the magnitude of weight gained, maintained, or lost, and behavioral differences were examined between categories at two time points. Results: Body weight increased (+0.62 kg; p < 0.05) at the post-lockdown period. The body mass index also increased (26.38 ± 5.98 kg/m2 vs. 26.12 ± 5.81 kg/m2; p < 0.01) at the post-lockdown period vs. peak-lockdown period. Close to 40% of participants reported gaining either 1–4 lbs or >5 lbs of body weight during the peak-lockdown, while 18.2% lost weight. Weight-gainers engaged in riskier dietary behaviors such as frequent ultra-processed food intake (p < 0.01) and snacking (p < 0.001), were less active, and reported high stress and less craving control during peak-lockdown. Of those gaining >5 lbs, 33% continued to gain weight after the lockdown eased, while 28% maintain higher body weight. In weight-gainers, takeout meal frequency increased, and high ultra-processed food intake and stress, and low craving control continued to persist after the lockdown eased. Conclusion: We show that the COVID-19 lockdown periods disrupted weight management among many Americans and that associated health effects are likely to persist.

Much research has identified how people react to receiving threatening information about the self. The purpose of this article is to discuss such experiences in the context of a model of state self-esteem regulation. The authors propose that people engage in one of three regulatory responses to threat: compensation, resistance, and breaking. They conduct a meta-analysis aimed to examine when people engage in each of these three responses to threat and how trait self-esteem affects the selection and success of selecting each regulatory response. Furthermore, the authors test six theoretical models that might explain why responses to ego threat vary across level of trait self-esteem. The models for differences between people with low and high trait self-esteem that fit the data best suggest that (a) self-esteem serves as a resource and (b) there is a self-verification motivation.

People in close relationships influence the health behavior of their significant others. Recent research has explored one form of influence-social control-and produced results that suggest varying relationships between social control, health outcomes, and psychological well-being. For the present article, we conducted a meta-analysis to compare three predominant models of social control. We observed that measures of social control that distinguish between positive and negative forms of social control demonstrated stronger associations with health outcomes than did general measures of social control. Furthermore, measures of positive and negative social control were related to proposed psychological mediators.

Based on similarities between overconsumption of food and addictive drugs, there is increasing interest in “food addiction,” a compulsive eating pattern defined using symptoms parallel to substance use disorders. Impulsivity, a multidimensional construct robustly linked to drug addiction, has been increasingly examined as an obesity determinant, but with mixed findings. This study sought to clarify relations between three major domains of impulsivity (i.e., impulsive personality traits, discounting of delayed rewards, and behavioral inhibition) in both obesity and food addiction. Based on the association between impulsivity and compulsive drug use, the general hypothesis was that the impulsivity-food addiction relation would be stronger than and responsible for the impulsivity-obesity relation. Using a cross-sectional dimensional design, participants (N = 181; 32% obese) completed a biometric assessment, the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scales, a Go/NoGo task, and measures of monetary delay discounting. Results revealed significantly higher prevalence of food addiction among obese participants and stronger zero-order associations between impulsivity indices and YFAS compared to obesity. Two aspects of impulsivity were independently significantly associated with food addiction: (a) a composite of Positive and Negative Urgency, reflecting proneness to act impulsively during intense mood states, and (b) steep discounting of delayed rewards. Furthermore, the results supported food addiction as a mediator connecting both urgency and delay discounting with obesity. These findings provide further evidence linking impulsivity to food addiction and obesity, and suggest that food addiction may be a candidate etiological pathway to obesity for individuals exhibiting elevations in these domains.