Shared relationship efficacy of dyad can increase life satisfaction in close relationships : multilevel study

• Main Authors: Asano, Ryosuke, Ito, Kenichi, Yoshida, Toshikazu
• Other Authors: Pellis, Sergio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Shared Relationship Efficacy; Life Satisfaction; DRNTU::Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/80457; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/46564
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Characteristics of relationship itself play an important role in determining well-being of individuals who participate in the relationship. We used efficacy expectations mutually shared between close friends or romantic partners as a characteristic of relationship and investigated its impact on their life satisfaction. In Study 1, we conducted a cross-sectional study among 137 pairs of close same-sex friends to test whether the efficacy expectations shared between friends are associated with levels of life satisfaction. In Study 2, we conducted a longitudinal study among 114 heterosexual romantic couples to test predictive validity of the efficacy expectations shared between couples predict levels of life satisfaction 2 month later. In both studies we found a consistent result that as degrees of the efficacy expectations shared between individuals in a relationship increased, the degree of their life satisfaction also increased. Underlying mechanisms that explain how characteristics of relationship itself increase life satisfaction are discussed.