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If free-will beliefs support attributions of moral responsibility, then reducing these beliefs should make people less retributive in their attitudes about punishment. Four studies tested this prediction using both measured and manipulated free-will beliefs. Study 1 found that people with weaker free-will beliefs endorsed less retributive, but not consequentialist, attitudes regarding punishment of criminals. Subsequent studies showed that learning about the neural bases of human behavior, through either lab-based manipulations or attendance at an undergraduate neuroscience course, reduced people's support for retributive punishment (Studies 2–4). These results illustrate that exposure to debates about free will and to scientific research on the neural basis of behavior may have consequences for attributions of moral responsibility.

There is increasing scientific interest in the potential association between mindfulness and romantic relationship wellbeing. To date, however, experimental studies using active control groups and testing dyadic effects (i.e. examining both actor and partner effects) are lacking. In the current study, romantically involved individuals engaged for 2 weeks daily in either guided mindfulness exercises, or guided relaxation exercises. Participants, and their partners, completed measures of relationship wellbeing at pre- and post-intervention, and at 1-month follow up. The mindfulness intervention significantly promoted relationship wellbeing, for both participants (i.e. actor effects) and their partners (i.e. partner effects). However, these findings did not significantly differ from changes in relationship wellbeing in the relaxation condition. Theoretical implications of these findings for understanding the association between mindfulness and romantic relationship wellbeing are discussed. Moreover, the findings are discussed in light of recent debates about the relative lack of proper control groups in mindfulness research.

Theoretical and empirical work suggests that mindfulness is beneficial for close relationships. However, the ways in which mindfulness shapes important relational processes are not well understood. The current study examines the role that trait mindfulness plays in shaping people’s perceptions of their romantic partner’s emotions. In two dyadic studies (Study 1 n  = 121 couples; Study 2 n  = 138 couples), heterosexual couples engaged in a conversation about a problem in their relationship. Prior to the conversation, participants completed measures of their relational (Study 1) or general trait (Study 2) mindfulness , and then rated their own and their partner’s (negative) emotions immediately following the conflict. Multilevel Truth and Bias models were used to assess accuracy and bias in perceptions. Results revealed that men low in mindfulness overestimated their partner’s negative emotions especially when their partners’ negative emotions were higher, whereas more mindful men did not overestimate their partners’ negative emotions and were less perceptually sensitive to their partner’s higher levels of negative emotions. This pattern of results was less consistent for women. Overall, this study advances understanding of how mindfulness may enhance relationships by suggesting that mindfulness reduces hypervigilance to and overestimation of partner’s negative emotions, particularly for men.

Past research has primarily focused on negative associations between PTSD and relationships. Therefore, this investigation delves into the potential positive role of these relational aspects in aiding PTSD recovery during treatment. This study aimed to examine the impact of dyadic coping and perceived partner responsiveness on treatment trajectories of PTSD patients. The study included 90 participants, who were requested to complete online questionnaires twice, with a six-month gap between the measures. The results from linear regression analyses indicated that perceived partner responsiveness had a positive effect on PTSD recovery, whereas dyadic coping had the opposite effect: higher levels of dyadic coping were associated with an increase in posttraumatic stress symptoms over time. Additional examination of the subscales indicated that heightened communication between clients and partners regarding stress was related with increased posttraumatic stress symptoms. These findings underscore the importance and complexity of effective and supportive communication between patients with PTSD and their partners. While existing literature supports both perceived partner responsiveness and dyadic coping as beneficial, this study indicates that only perceived partner responsiveness positively impacted PTSD recovery.

Adults with attachment insecurity often struggle in romantic relationships due to difficulties in emotion regulation (ER). One potentially influential yet understudied factor is the inflexible over-reliance on either intrapersonal (self-directed, e.g., suppression) or interpersonal (involving others, e.g., sharing) ER. This study investigates the association between attachment insecurity and flexibility in using interpersonal versus intrapersonal ER in response to daily stressors in romantic relationships. We hypothesized that higher attachment avoidance and anxiety are associated with (H1) higher reliance on either intrapersonal or interpersonal ER over the other, respectively; (H2) less variable use of interpersonal compared to intrapersonal ER over time; and (H3) less flexible use of interpersonal compared to intrapersonal ER depending on the availability of a romantic partner. Study 1 (N = 174; 133 females, Mage = 23.79, SDage = 7.63) used an online cross-sectional survey to measure average inter/intrapersonal ER, addressing H1. Study 2 (N = 124; 104 females, Mage = 22.45, SDage = 6.39), combined a baseline survey with experience sampling (7 days, 8 notifications/day), addressing H1, H2, and H3. Results showed that higher attachment avoidance was associated with lower interpersonal compared to intrapersonal ER. Higher attachment anxiety was associated with less variable use of interpersonal compared to intrapersonal ER and less flexible use of interpersonal ER depending on partner availability. These findings suggest distinct associations between attachment orientations and ER flexibility, explaining ER difficulties in individuals with high attachment insecurity.

Different views exist regarding the nature of patients’ dependency in psychotherapy (trait versus contextual dependency), and its impact on treatment outcome and duration. Therefore we examined whether patients’ levels of care dependency changed over time during a 9-month treatment period, and whether care dependency was related to symptom reduction and patients’ wish for treatment continuation at the end of the treatment. Participants in this longitudinal study were 113 patients (Mage = 33.6, 78% female) with personality disorders receiving inpatient or daycare group psychotherapy. Both increases and decreases on different aspects of care dependency were found over the course of treatment. Decreases in dependency were related to larger symptom reduction, and higher levels of care dependency, especially patients’ lack of perceived alternative options for the current treatment, were related to patients’ stronger wish to continue their treatment. Changes in care dependency during treatment mainly supports the contextual view on patients’ care dependency, and decreasing levels of dependency may have beneficial treatment effects. However, dependency may also lead to prolonged treatment duration. Clinical implications for therapists are presented.

Previous research has shown that passive social media use does not have the same positive effects on well-being as active social media use. However, it is currently unclear whether these effects can be attributed to the benefits of active use, the costs of passive use, or both. The current article investigated the effect of active and passive Facebook use on feelings of social connectedness after being ostracized. In two preregistered experiments, participants were first ostracized on a faux social media platform, followed by a measurement of social connectedness. In Experiment 1 they were then instructed to either use Facebook passively, use Facebook actively, or use a non-social website (Wikipedia), after which social connectedness was measured again. Results indicated that active Facebook use can restore social connectedness after being ostracized as compared to using a non-social website. While passive Facebook use also restored social connectedness, it did not change social connectedness significantly more so than Wikipedia use. In Experiment 2, we replicated Experiment 1, now focusing only on passive Facebook use compared to a non-social website. Results showed again that passive Facebook use did not influence social connectedness more so than the use of Wikipedia. In exploratory analyses, we found that for participants who felt close to other Facebook users, passive Facebook use did increase social connectedness compared to using a non-social website. These experiments suggest that, even though passive social media use does not restore social connectedness in the same way that active social media use does, it also does not harm social connectedness, and it may actually promote social connectedness under certain circumstances.

Background While marriage is the most common relationship arrangement across the globe, its meaning can vary between individuals, countries, and also within a country. Indonesia is a culturally diverse country, so the current study aims to explore whether this diversity is reflected in different views on marriage or whether a culturally diverse of Indonesians has similar views on marriage and family. Methods We conducted a descriptive exploratory qualitative study using online structured interviews lasting 60–90 min. The data from the structured interviews were processed using thematic analysis. We obtained data from 20 married participants from diverse cultural backgrounds, aged 25–50 years, with various lengths of marriage, educational backgrounds, occupations, and places of residence. Results It showed that the meaning of marriage is that the family becomes one and has the same vision or goal. Most participants mentioned the meaning of family as having blood or marriage ties and family as a source of strength that can provide positive energy for its members. Participants also mentioned love, care, protection, help, sharing and support for each family member as the function of the family. Conclusion The findings highlighted several consistent themes with regard to the meaning of marriage as well as the meaning and function of family. As one of the first studies using a qualitative approach among a diverse sample in Indonesia, the current findings suggest that Indonesians from different cultures and backgrounds share similar views on the meaning of marriage, the meaning of family, and the function of family. As compared to previous studies in other cultures, there were some unique views and opinions that seemed to reflect the inherent collectivist culture participants are embedded in. We discuss the implications of our findings for the study of marriage and family in Indonesia as well as the broader implications of the current findings.

In three studies, it was investigated whether trait mindfulness is positively associated with partner acceptance, defined as the ability and willingness to accept the partner’s imperfections, and whether partner acceptance explains the association between trait mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. Trait mindfulness, partner acceptance and relationship satisfaction were assessed in two MTurk samples ( n 1  = 190; n 2  = 140) and a sample of participants of a mindfulness-based stress reduction course ( n 3  = 118) and their partners (53 complete couples), using self-report measures. In all three samples, trait mindfulness was related to partner acceptance and in two out of three studies trait mindfulness was directly positively related to relationship satisfaction. Also, the results provided initial support for the mediating role of partner acceptance in the association between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. Dyadic data further suggested that the benefits of mindfulness and partner acceptance on relationship satisfaction extend from the individual to the partner through increased partner acceptance. Together, the results provide initial support for the hypothesis that partner acceptance may be an important mechanism through which mindfulness promotes relationship satisfaction in both partners of a romantic couple.

Objectives Recently, researchers have started to investigate the potential interpersonal effects of mindfulness in the context of romantic relationships. However, most of these studies have focused on trait mindfulness and its association with relationship outcome measures. We employed a randomized, controlled design to investigate the effects of mindfulness practice on relationship quality. We also explored the role of partner acceptance as a possible mechanism of change and investigated whether baseline levels of trait mindfulness would moderate intervention effects. Methods One hundred and thirteen participants in a romantic relationship (89% women; M age  = 27.27 years, SD  = 8.31 years) living in the Netherlands participated in either a low-dose, online mindfulness-based intervention or a psycho-education control intervention for 12 days. Results Results indicated that general relationship satisfaction and partner acceptance increased for both conditions ( F satisfaction (1,93) = 5.94, η 2 partial  = 0.06, p  = 0.017; F acceptance (1,93) = 4.63, η 2 partial  = 0.05, p  = 0.034). Among participants with relatively low baseline levels of trait mindfulness, relationship satisfaction improved more so in the mindfulness than that in the control condition (trait mindfulness × condition: B  = 0.34, SE  = 0.15, β  = 0.40, p  = 0.024). Conclusions Short, online, self-administered mindfulness-based interventions may positively impact romantic relationship quality and might be particularly effective for participants with low levels of trait mindfulness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.