The Benefits and Risks of Growing Close: Relationship Matters Podcast #23

In the 23rd installment of Sage’s Relationship Matters podcast, hosted by Dr. Bjarne Holmes of Champlain College, Dr. Jennifer Tomlinson (Carnegie Mellon University) discusses her recent research with Professor Art Aron (Stony Brook University) on the classic dilemma: how do we balance the benefits of growing emotionally close to a person with the risk of getting hurt that comes when we make ourselves vulnerable?

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Is There Really a Benefit to Being Nice to Others? Relationship Matters Podcast #21

In the 21^st installment of Sage’s Relationship Matters podcast, hosted by Dr. Bjarne Holmes of Champlain College, Bonnie Le (a graduate student in Dr. Emily Impett's lab at the Univ. of Toronto) talks about the personal and interpersonal effects of having a communal orientation.

Communally oriented people care for the welfare and needs of others, and want others to care for them in return. Ms. Le explained, “In a communal orientation… we give because of need, we give because we care about the well being of other people. And so you don’t necessarily expect something in return when you’re giving help or care in a communal relationship or when you have a communal orientation, but you do expect that people will behave the same in return [eventually].”

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To Self-Disclose or Not to Self-Disclose? Relationship Matters Podcast #20

In the 20^th installment of Sage’s Relationship Matters podcast, hosted by Dr. Bjarne Holmes of Champlain College, Dr. Sue Sprecher (Illinois State University) and Stanislov Treger (DePaul University) talk about their work on self-disclosure during first encounters with strangers. Specifically, the researchers designed a series of experiments to determine whether people enjoy interacting with, and like, a stranger more when those people talk about themselves versus listen to the stranger do all the talking.

To test this question, Sprecher and Treger randomly assigned people to either talk to a stranger or listen to a stranger talk for 12 minutes. What did they find? Listeners, compared to talkers, were happier with the interaction, liked the stranger better, and felt closer to the stranger.

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Insecure Attachment and Real vs. Perceived Threat in Relationships: Relationship Matters Podcast #19

Sage’s Relationship Matters podcast, hosted by Dr. Bjarne Holmes of Champlain College, launches the Spring 2013 season with the 19^th installment, discussing Dr. Geoff MacDonald’s (University of Toronto) recent work published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. In this episode, he tells us about how insecurely attached individuals, compared to the securely attached, perceive potential close relationships as socially threatening vs. rewarding. Although we all evaluate what we will get out of our interactions with others, anxiously attached people are more likely to perceive social interactions as threatening. “Anxious attachment seems to revolve around concerns for negative evaluation and rejection,” MacDonald notes during the podcast.

So should anxiously attached individuals fear rejection when initiating a new relationship?

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"Relationship Matters": The Official Podcast Series of JSPR

We're excited to announce that we've partnered with SAGE publications to bring you "Relationship Matters", the official podcast series of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, produced by Dr. Bjarne Holmes. You can listen to the podcasts and download FREE .pdfs of the journal articles featured here.

"Conflict Avoidance": Relationship Matters Podcast #13

A new Relationship Matters (the official podcast of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships) has just been released. Dr. Tamara Afifi (Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) talks about why women find (conflict) avoidance more dissatisfying than men. Check it out here.

"Sexual Healing": Relationship Matters Podcast #12

A new Relationship Matters (the official podcast of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships) has just been released. Dr. Tsachi Ein-Dor (Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Israel) discusses research on how we use sex to feel better. Check it out here.

See our brief write-up of this work here.

"Personality and Marriage": Relationship Matters Podcast #11

A new Relationship Matters (the official podcast of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships) has just been released. Dr. Norm O'Rourke (of Simon Fraser University) discusses personality and marriage in heterosexual couples. Check it out here.

"Living in a Marginalized Relationship": Relationship Matters Podcast #10

A new Relationship Matters (the official podcast of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships) has just been released. Dr. Bjarne Holmes interviews Science Of Relationships' featured columnist Dr. Justin Lehmiller about his research on "Living in a Marginalized Relationship." Click here to listen to the interview. 

"Passionate Love": Relationship Matters Podcast #9

A new Relationship Matters (the official podcast of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships) has just been released. SofR's own Dr. Bjarne Holmes interviews Dr. Elaine Hatfield about her about her work on passion and sexual desire.

"Talking Sex": Relationship Matters Podcast #8

A new Relationship Matters (the official podcast of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships) has just been released. SofR's own Dr. Bjarne Holmes interviews Jennifer Montesi of Temple University about her research on sexual communication and satisfaction.

See all of our articles about sex here.

Just Released: Relationship Matters Podcast #7

A new Relationship Matters (the official podcast of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships) has just been released. SofR's own Dr. Bjarne Holmes interviews Dr. Jeff Hall about his research on humor in relationships.

Read more about research on humor here.

New "Relationship Matters" Podcast!

Volume 5 of Relationship Matters has just been released. You can download the MP3 here.

In the first interview, Dr. Nickola Overall discusses the best strategies for creating change in our relationships - what to do and what not to do! This work is also written about in a recent Science of Relationships post. 

In the second interview, Dr. Susan Charles tells us that older adults (e.g., above 65) tend to generally have better social networks than younger adults, and tend to be happier and more satisfied with life generally. She describes how young people could learn to be happier by emulating strategies used by older adults!

Relationship Matters is the official podcast of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and is dedicated to bringing its audience interviews with relationship researchers presented in an accessible way that highlights practical implications. You can visit their Facebook page here.

How Do I Change My Partner's Behavior?

Recently, I spoke with Dr. Nickola Overall for Relationship Matters, the official podcast series of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. The interview was about the exciting research she’s recently published that directly addresses the dos and don’ts in trying to change partner or your relationship.

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"Relationship Matters" Podcast on Adult Attachment

We've posted about adult attachment previously, and in this installment of Relationship Matters, Dr. Jeff Simpson discusses its relevance to relationship well-being. In addition, Dr. Gurit Birnbaum talks about the link between attachment and sex. Download the MP3 here.

Relationship Matters is the official podcast of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and is dedicated to bringing its audience interviews with relationship researchers presented in an accessible way that highlights practical implications. You can visit their Facebook page here.