Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
1-2020
Abstract
The present exploratory research examined the possibility that commitment in close relationships among lower class individuals, despite greater strains on those relationships, buffers them from poorer subjective well-being (SWB). In two samples of close relationship dyads, we found that when partners reported high commitment to the relationship, the typical deficits in relatively lower class individuals’ well-being compared to their upper-class counterparts, assessed as life satisfaction among romantic couples (Study 1) and negative affect linked to depression among ethnically diverse close friendships (Study 2), were mitigated. Conversely, when partners reported low commitment to the relationship, relatively lower class individuals reported poorer well-being than their upper-class counterparts. These patterns were not found with actors’ commitment. Implications of these findings for upending the class divide in SWB are discussed.
Keywords
social class, commitment, relationships, subjective well-being
Discipline
Applied Behavior Analysis | Personality and Social Contexts | Social Psychology | Social Psychology and Interaction
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Social Psychological and Personality Science
Volume
11
Issue
1
First Page
16
Last Page
25
ISSN
1948-5506
Identifier
10.1177/1948550619837006
Publisher
SAGE Publications (UK and US)
Citation
TAN, Jacinth J. X., KRAUS, Michael W., IMPETT, Emily A., & KELTNER, Dacher.(2020). Partner commitment in close relationships mitigates social-class differences in subjective well-being. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(1), 16-25.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2820
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550619837006
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons