Couples' shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality.

Abstract

Using a newspaper questionnaire, a door-to-door survey, and 3 laboratory experiments, the authors examined a proposed effect of shared participation in novel and arousing activities on experienced relationship quality. The questionnaire and survey studies found predicted correlations of reported shared "exciting" activities and relationship satisfaction plus their predicted mediation by relationship boredom. In all 3 experiments, the authors found predicted greater increases in experienced relationship quality from before to after participating together in a 7-min novel and arousing (vs. a more mundane) task. Comparison with a no-activity control showed the effect was due to the novel-arousing task. The same effect was found on ratings of videotaped discussions before and after the experimental task. Finally, all results remained after controlling for relationship social desirability. Results bear on general issues of boredom and excitement in relationships and the role of such processes in understanding the typical early decline of relationship quality after the honeymoon period.

Cognitive consequences of perceiving social exclusion

“…While SEM does not go into detail about the cognitive mechanisms through which another person is assimilated to the self, research stemming from the model has identified factors associated with self-expansion. For example, shared experiences that are novel (Aron, Norman, Aron, McKenna, & Heyman, 2000), humorous (Fraley & Aron, 2004) or defined by mutual self-disclosure (Aron, Melinat, Aron, et al, 1997) are all associated with greater interpersonal closeness. What these studies have in common is that factors that lead to increased feelings of closeness are those that increase the perception of uniquely shared knowledge and experiences.…”

“…Why does uniquely shared experience generate interpersonal closeness, whereas more mundane or commonplace experiences do not (Aron et al, 2000)? One possibility is that awareness that a shared experience is unique creates a category boundary.…”

A People-As-Means Approach to Interpersonal Relationships

“…Thus, one's partner who was instrumental to realizing their dream life may be viewed as dull because s/he does not seem to be serving goal striving. The well-known benefits for relationships of engaging in novel, exciting activities (Aron, Norman, Aron, McKenna, & Heyman, 2000) may emerge, at least in part, because such activities provide an avenue for partners to serve as means to shared goals. Thus, it is important that one's partner is instrumental to the goals of the moment in order to maintain interpersonal closeness and relationship satisfaction.…”

Making it last: Combating hedonic adaptation in romantic relationships

“…They may be preoccupied with thoughts about their partner during the periods just before and just after seeing each other in person, because the visit allows them to anticipate the reunion and then to relive and savor their experiences afterwards (Sahlstein, 2004). Novelty is an important part of what makes long-distance relationships thrive, and the loss of novelty and variety has been found to be associated with relationship dissolution when the relationship changes from long-distance to proximal (Aron et al, 2000;Stafford, Merolla, & Castle, 2006). This suggests that efforts to inject more novelty and variety into a relationship may help improve relationship quality.…”

“…In two correlational studies, Aron and his colleagues found that participating in novel and exciting activities is associated with higher relationship satisfaction (Aron, Norman, Aron, McKenna, & Heyman, 2000, Studies 1 & 2). Moreover, in experimental studies, they found that couples assigned to participate in novel and 4 K. Jacobs Bao and S. Lyubomirsky arousing activities experienced increases in relationship satisfaction and passionate love (Studies 3 & 4).…”