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Research

Daily Marital Interactions and Positive Affect During Marital Conflict Among Newlywed Couples

Driver & Gottman (2004) · Family Process, 43(3)

Relied on in 4 places across the academy · 4 stated limits

No stable link recorded for this one — look it up by the citation above. If you have a permanent one, send it and we will add it.

What it found

In an observational study of newlyweds, everyday bids for attention — and whether a partner turned toward them — were associated with positive affect and humour during later conflict discussions.

Turning toward a partner in ordinary moments was associated with more positive affect and humour during conflict discussions.

In observed newlyweds, turning toward a partner in ordinary moments was associated with more positive affect during later conflict.

What it does not show

A small observational study of newlyweds. Correlational: it links everyday bids to affect during later conflict, it does not show that changing the bids changes the conflict.

And where we carry it further

Small newlywed sample, and several widely-quoted Gottman percentages come from popular writing rather than this paper. Take the direction, not the numbers.

Observational and correlational. The twenty minutes is our number, not theirs.

Small sample, observational, and about couples. The direction is the useful part.

Observational and correlational, on a small newlywed sample. The twenty minutes is our number, not theirs, and several widely-quoted percentages from this literature come from popular writing rather than the paper.

Where we rely on it

4 places in the academy. If this paper turned out to be wrong, this is the list that would have to change. Some of the instructions below are part of Gold; none of the findings are.

Cited alongside it

Papers that sit under the same topics and films. Not a claim that they agree with each other — only that the same exercises lean on both.

Research

A real study. We tell you what it found, how many people were in it, and what it can't prove.

Free to read, link to and quote. If we have carried this paper further than it goes, say so at contact@suaviq.com — corrections to this registry are the most useful mail we get.