Time-varying associations between everyday affect and cortisol in older couples.

Abstract

Objective: Positive as well as negative emotional experiences fluctuate and they may be shared between romantic partners. Everyday emotion dynamics in couples may relate to physiological stress responses, with accompanying cortisol secretion being one pathway through which emotional dynamics can "get under the skin." We examined time-varying relationships of one's own as well as one's partner's sadness and contentment with salivary cortisol. We also examined the degree to which perceptions that the respective partner was sharing their feelings moderates these associations. Method: Both partners of 84 community-dwelling older adult couples (M age = 71.1 years) provided simultaneous daily life assessments of momentary cortisol, sadness and contentment, and perceptions of shared spousal feelings four times per day over seven consecutive days (up to 28 assessments). Results: Momentary cortisol was higher in moments when individuals reported higher sadness, lower contentment, and perceptions that their partner was sharing their feelings less than usual. Cortisol was also higher when the partner reported higher sadness and lower contentment but only when one felt that the partner was sharing their feelings more than usual at that moment in time. Conclusions: This study illuminates a potential pathway (i.e., perceptions of shared spousal feelings) by which not only one's own emotional experiences, but also those of the spouse, are associated with the activation of physiological stress systems as indicated by elevated cortisol in a sample of older couples.