When giving feels good. The intrinsic benefits of sacrifice in romantic relationships for the communally motivated
- PMID: 21078893
- DOI: 10.1177/0956797610388815
When giving feels good. The intrinsic benefits of sacrifice in romantic relationships for the communally motivated
Abstract
Who benefits most from making sacrifices for others? The current study provides one answer to this question by demonstrating the intrinsic benefits of sacrifice for people who are highly motivated to respond to a specific romantic partner's needs noncontingently, a phenomenon termed communal strength. In a 14-day daily-experience study of 69 romantic couples, communal strength was positively associated with positive emotions during the sacrifice itself, with feeling appreciated by the partner for the sacrifice, and with feelings of relationship satisfaction on the day of the sacrifice. Furthermore, feelings of authenticity for the sacrifice mediated these associations. Several alternative hypotheses were ruled out: The effects were not due to individuals higher in communal strength making qualitatively different kinds of sacrifices, being more positive in general, or being involved in happier relationships. Implications for research and theory on communal relationships and positive emotions are discussed.
Similar articles
-
Suppression sours sacrifice: emotional and relational costs of suppressing emotions in romantic relationships.Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2012 Jun;38(6):707-20. doi: 10.1177/0146167212437249. Epub 2012 Mar 2. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2012. PMID: 22389432
-
Giving up and giving in: the costs and benefits of daily sacrifice in intimate relationships.J Pers Soc Psychol. 2005 Sep;89(3):327-44. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.89.3.327. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2005. PMID: 16248717
-
When holding back helps: suppressing negative emotions during sacrifice feels authentic and is beneficial for highly interdependent people.Psychol Sci. 2013 Sep;24(9):1809-15. doi: 10.1177/0956797613475365. Epub 2013 Jul 11. Psychol Sci. 2013. PMID: 23846717
-
Communal motivation and well-being in interpersonal relationships: An integrative review and meta-analysis.Psychol Bull. 2018 Jan;144(1):1-25. doi: 10.1037/bul0000133. Epub 2017 Nov 20. Psychol Bull. 2018. PMID: 29154556 Review.
-
Motivation for social contact across the life span: a theory of socioemotional selectivity.Nebr Symp Motiv. 1992;40:209-54. Nebr Symp Motiv. 1992. PMID: 1340521 Review.
Cited by
-
Sexual Desire Mediates the Relationship-Promoting Effects of Perceived Partner Mate Value.Arch Sex Behav. 2021 Nov;50(8):3733-3755. doi: 10.1007/s10508-021-02060-2. Epub 2021 Nov 2. Arch Sex Behav. 2021. PMID: 34727283
-
Emotional and instrumental support provision interact to predict well-being.Emotion. 2015 Aug;15(4):484-93. doi: 10.1037/emo0000084. Epub 2015 Jun 22. Emotion. 2015. PMID: 26098734 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical