On the occasion of the celebration of Valentine’s Day on February 14, the University of Granada has presented the results of a study, published in the International Journal of Social Psychology, which indicates that mimicking our partner –perceiving a greater overlap between personal identity and that of the couple or having a greater sense of ‘we’– makes us feel happier with our relationship, have greater sexual satisfaction and fewer conflicts between both of us.
Mimicry, or the act of imitating another person’s actions, behaviors, or emotions, has been studied in psychology as a mechanism that can facilitate connection and empathy between people. When couples mimic each other, this could indicate emotional attunement and mutual understanding that strengthens their bond. The findings reached by researchers from the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC) of the UGR suggest that the overlap between oneself and the other person in a relationship not only improves satisfaction and reduces stress, but could also be an indicator of a healthy, high-quality relationship. This highlights the importance of emotional connection and mutual understanding in relationships.
Recipe to achieve emotional well-being as a couple
According to Inmaculada Valor-Segura, professor at the Department of Social Psychology at the University of Granada and leader of this research, relationships play a crucial role in offering tangible advantages, physical health and emotional well-being, which is essential for happiness and individual well-being.
Research carried out in different cultures has shown that having a relationship is highly valued and is associated with high levels of contentment. Specifically, marital satisfaction has been found to act as a protective factor against anxiety and depression. For example, women who report lower satisfaction in their marriage experience higher levels of anxiety compared to those who feel very satisfied with their relationship. Regarding depressive symptoms, previous studies have indicated that low levels of marital satisfaction are related to an increase in levels of depression in both men and women, with this effect being more pronounced in women.
The specialist from the University of Granada points out that couple relationships are essential for both joint and individual well-being, since they become integrated into the concept of ‘I’ or personal identity of individuals.
Currently, special attention is being paid to how the inclusion of the partner in the concept of ‘self’ can influence both positively and negatively the quality of the relationship and overall well-being. Given the strong interdependence between the members of a couple, the UGR study delves into the dyadic analysis of how the levels of inclusion of the other in the ‘I’ (IOS) of an individual, those of their partner, and the similarity between These can impact the quality and well-being of the relationship.
In this study, which included 169 Spanish couples, it was discovered that greater inclusion of the other in one’s own concept of ‘self’ (IOS) is linked to greater relationship satisfaction, including sexual satisfaction. , and with fewer conflicts. It was also found that couples with similar levels of IOS experience a better quality of life together, showing greater happiness and less stress.
These findings support the notion that integrating the partner into one’s own ‘self’ and maintaining a balance in this aspect between both partners are key factors in predicting well-being, relationship stability and mental health in couples.
Currently, Professor Valor-Segura and Dr. Hannah Williamson, from the University of Texas, are developing a cross-cultural study on the role played by romantic relationships and socioeconomic factors (both social class from an objective and subjective perspective ) on the health and well-being of people. Preliminary data indicate that, in Spain, the most reliable elements to predict health and well-being are the quality of romantic relationships and the subjective perception of the social class to which one belongs. However, in the United States, these three factors, including objective social class, are relevant to overall well-being, although physical health does not appear to be influenced by the quality of the romantic relationship.
Source: University of Granada
