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The emotional experiences you have with a romantic partner shape how satisfied you are in your relationship. Engaging in attempts to make a romantic partner feel better is linked with better relationship outcomes. However, it is not yet clear which specific processes people use to regulate their partners' emotions, nor which processes are most strongly linked with relationship satisfaction. In the current study of 277 individuals (55% female), we tested the extent to which eight extrinsic emotion regulation processes (expressive suppression, downward social comparison, humor, distraction, direct action, reappraisal, receptive listening, and valuing) predict relationship satisfaction. Six of the eight processes showed significant positive correlations with relationship satisfaction, with the strongest associations for valuing (r =.43), humor (r =.33), and receptive listening (r =.27). Relative weights were significant only for valuing, humor, and receptive listening, suggesting that these are the most important predictors of relationship satisfaction. Results are discussed in terms of the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic regulation processes and the potential importance of motives for regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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There is considerable variability in how successful people are in losing weight via exercise programs. Experimental research suggests that greater food intake after exercise may be one factor underlying this variability, but no studies have assessed patterns of post-exercise eating behaviour over time in naturalistic settings. Thus, we aimed to assess how exercise and contextual factors (e.g., hunger, presence of others) influence the healthiness and amount of food eaten after exercise in two daily diary studies. In Study 1, participants (n = 48) reported their food intake and exercise daily for 28 days. For each meal, they provided a brief description of the food(s) eaten which were then categorised as healthy, unhealthy, or mixed (neither healthy nor unhealthy) by two independent coders. Study 2 used the same method, but participants (n = 55) also reported the portion size of each meal. Hierarchical linear modelling showed that in Study 1, contrary to expectations, post-exercise meals were less likely to be unhealthy (relative to mixed) than were random meals from non-exercise days (OR = 0.63, p =.011), and that participants ate proportionally fewer unhealthy meals on exercise days compared to non-exercise days (b = -4.27, p =.004). Study 2 replicated these findings, and also found that participants consumed larger meals after exercise in comparison to random meals from non-exercise days (b = 0.25, p <.001). Participants were not consistently engaging in compensatory eating by eating less healthily after exercise compared to on non-exercise days, but they did eat larger portions post-exercise. This work highlights the need for naturalistic methods of assessing compensatory eating, and has the potential to facilitate development of strategies to improve health behaviour regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to develop and provide a preliminary psychometric validation of the Somatomorphic Matrix‐Female (SM‐F), a new bidimensional female figural rating scale which can be used to gauge actual and desired levels of both body fat and muscularity in a consolidated measure, as well as providing an index of actual‐desired body discrepancy based on these measures. Across two studies undergraduate women (n Study 1 = 481; n Study 2 = 391) completed the Eating Disorder Examination‐Questionnaire, the Body Shape Questionnaire‐34, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales‐21 (Study 1) and the Drive for Thinness Scale and the Drive for Muscularity Scale (Study 2), as well as the SM‐F. Overall, the SM‐F demonstrated sound content, concurrent, and convergent validity for actual and desired body fat, actual and desired muscularity, and their respective discrepancy scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Toned muscularity continues to emerge as a salient aspect of women's body image. However, there is a dearth of research investigating the potentially maladaptive eating practices and related cognitions that accompany the drive for muscularity in women. This may be attributable to the limited empirical and clinical attention previously given to muscularity‐oriented disordered eating and, accordingly, the lack of validated measures assessing these concerns. To address this knowledge gap, our study aimed to provide a preliminary evaluation of the factor structure and core psychometric properties of a recently developed measure of muscularity‐oriented disordered eating, the Muscularity‐Oriented Eating Test (MOET), in university women in Australia. Method: Participants included 419 university women who completed the 15‐item MOET and other self‐report measures for validity evaluation as part of an online survey. Data from split‐half samples were used to undertake an exploratory factor analysis and subsequent confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Factor analytic results supported a briefer (12‐item), one‐factor scale in this sample of university women. The internal consistency reliability and validity (convergent and discriminant) of this 12‐item unidimensional MOET was supported. Discussion: Our study provides preliminary support for this modified MOET as a psychometrically sound self‐report measure of muscularity‐oriented disordered eating in university women in Australia, providing a useful tool for understanding maladaptive eating behaviors and cognitions concomitant to the pursuit of muscularity in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Weight-based stigmatization is associated with negative psychological and behavioral consequences, but individuals respond to stigma in different ways. The present study aimed to understand some of the factors that predict how one will cope with weight stigma and how different coping responses predict psychological well-being.Methods: Across four samples, 1,391 individuals who identified as having overweight or obesity completed surveys assessing the frequency of weight stigma experiences, internalized weight bias, coping responses to weight stigma, and psychological distress.Results: Frequency of weight stigma predicted greater internalized weight bias, which predicted more frequent use of maladaptive coping responses ("disengagement coping") and less frequent use of adaptive coping responses ("reappraisal coping"), in turn predicting more depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms.Conclusions: The more that individuals with overweight or obesity experience weight stigma and internalize weight bias, the more they report using maladaptive coping and the less they report using adaptive coping when dealing with weight stigma. Maladaptive coping is strongly associated with poorer psychological well-being. Thus, those who experience more frequent weight stigma may be more vulnerable to psychological distress because they appear to be at greater risk of employing maladaptive coping strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-monosexual women (i.e. those attracted to more than one gender) may encounter distinct sexual orientation-based challenges depending on the gender of their current relationship partner. Literature suggests that non-monosexual women in relationships with a male partner may often be assumed to be heterosexual by default, and may struggle with invisibility and lack of validation of their sexual minority identity. The aim of the present study was to examine if non-monosexual women in different-sex relationships experienced increased relationship strain relative to those with same-gender partners, and the potential mechanisms through which this effect may occur. A community sample of 169 non-monosexual women currently in a single partner relationship were recruited. Results indicated that although there was no direct link between partner gender and relationship strain, having a male partner was indirectly linked to greater relationship strain via less outness and less LGB community connectedness, and subsequently greater social isolation and depression. Unexpectedly, those with a male partner also reported greater social isolation independent of their level of outness and LGB community connectedness, suggesting the presence of additional pathways by which partner gender impacts one's sense of social isolation. These findings highlight distinct challenges faced by non-monosexual women in different-sex relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A growing body of literature suggests that individuals respond more positively when outperformed by their partner (an upward comparison) than when they outperform the partner (a downward comparison). However, these findings may not apply to individuals high in attachment avoidance due to their negative working models of others. In two studies, we investigated whether feelings of closeness following social comparisons to the romantic partner are moderated by attachment avoidance. Participants were asked to recall (Study 1) and imagine (Study 2) comparisons. Avoidant participants felt closer to their partners following a downward comparison relative to an upward comparison. These studies suggest that for avoidant individuals, outperforming their partners is more beneficial for the relationship than being outperformed by their partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals who empathize and share outcomes with their partner are likely to react more positively to upward comparisons (UCs) than downward comparisons (DCs). Three studies examined responses to comparisons in romantic relationships. Participants reported more positive affect following UCs than DCs; positive affect was also predicted by empathy and shared outcomes. Relationship-maintaining responses were predicted by empathy and shared outcomes: Participants who felt boosted by sharing their partner's success were less likely to report distancing themselves from the partner following UCs, and participants who felt concern for their partner's failure were especially likely to help the partner following DCs. Our findings suggest that individuals respond functionally to these comparisons by focusing on protecting the relationship rather than protecting the self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research examined the impact of everyday romantic goal strivings on women’s attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). It was hypothesized that women may distance themselves from STEM when the goal to be romantically desirable is activated because pursuing intelligence goals in masculine domains (i.e., STEM) conflicts with pursuing romantic goals associated with traditional romantic scripts and gender norms. Consistent with hypotheses, women, but not men, who viewed images (Study 1) or overheard conversations (Studies 2a-2b) related to romantic goals reported less positive attitudes toward STEM and less preference for majoring in math/science compared to other disciplines. On days when women pursued romantic goals, the more romantic activities they engaged in and the more desirable they felt, but the fewer math activities they engaged in. Furthermore, women’s previous day romantic goal strivings predicted feeling more desirable but being less invested in math on the following day (Study 3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]