Interpersonal Emotion Regulation as Source of Positive Relationship Perceptions: The Role of Emotion Regulation Dependence

The current research unveils a novel mechanism through which interpersonal emotion regulation enhances romantic relationship quality and affective experience. Across three studies, we tested the hypothesis that depending on a romantic partner for emotion regulation (emotion regulation dependence or ERD) motivates people to see their partner as more supportive and responsive and evaluate their partner’s traits more positively. In turn, we expected these elevated perceptions to partially account for the positive effect of ERD on relationship satisfaction and affective experience. In Studies 1 and 2 (N = 395 and 397), experimental manipulations of subjective ERD increased perceived partner support provision, perceived partner responsiveness, and, in Study 2, evaluation of partner traits. In Study 3, a multimethod dyadic study (N = 470), ERD predicted greater perceived partner support provision, perceived partner responsiveness, and positive evaluation of the partner’s traits independently of the partner’s self-reports and objective observers’ assessments of partner behavior. ERD also predicted change over time in these perceptions. These findings were replicated in terms of everyday experiences using daily diary methods (daily n = 9,653). Daily ERD predicted greater perceived partner support provision and responsiveness concurrently, and predicted greater perceived support the following day, while controlling for the partner’s self-reported support provision and responsiveness. Global and daily ERD indirectly predicted greater relationship satisfaction and mood through positive interpersonal perceptions. Results suggest that positively biased interpersonal perceptions may be a common pathway through which depending on partners for emotion regulation yields interpersonal and affective benefits.