Presenter: Betül Urgancı, Cornell University Department of Psychology

The role of close relationships has been recognized as an important predictor for our health and well-being. Recent research suggests that one relationship aspect particularly important to individuals' health and well-being is perceived partner responsiveness— the extent to which individuals believe that their romantic partners understand, validate, and care for them. Yet how and when perceived partner responsiveness is associated with better relational and psychological well-being is not clear. In this talk, I integrate findings from five different research projects with diverse samples and
methodologies that examine the link between perceived partner responsiveness and relational (intimacy and adult attachment) and psychological well-being (affect regulation and mental health). Plausible stress-buffering mechanisms of perceived partner responsiveness on well-being are described. Overall, findings indicate that people who perceived their partners as high in responsiveness have better affective well-being, relational well-being, and mental health. These findings point to new research questions that pose important challenges for future research.

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