Being in a romantic relationship, interacting & investing time with one’s partner predicted greater well-being; low-quality & not-so-great romantic relationships yield lower well-being than being unpartnered

The Highs and Lows of Love: Romantic Relationship Quality Moderates Whether Spending Time With One’s Partner Predicts Gains or Losses in Well-Being. Nathan W. Hudson, Richard E. Lucas, M. Brent Donnellan. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, August 13, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167219867960

Abstract: Previous research suggests both relationship status and relationship quality correlate with well-being. The present study extended these findings in three ways. First, we benchmarked individuals with various-quality relationships against uncoupled people to determine whether even low-quality relationships are associated with greater well-being than being unpartnered. Second, research suggests global well-being (e.g., life satisfaction) and experiential well-being (e.g., momentary affect) oftentimes have different predictors. Thus, we tested whether individuals report greater experiential well-being while with their partners. Finally, we examined whether daily time invested into one’s relationship predicted well-being. Results indicated that being in a romantic relationship, interacting with one’s partner, and investing greater time into the relationship all predicted greater well-being. However, these effects were moderated by relationship quality, such that being in even relatively neutral relationships and interacting therein were associated with lower well-being than being unpartnered.

Keywords: subjective well-being, life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, close relationships, romantic relationships, relationship quality, day reconstruction method