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Behavioral Sciences
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Advances in the Science of Mating, Love, and Attachment in...
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Advances in the Science of Mating, Love, and Attachment in Romantic Relationships

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 16576

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Bianca P. Acevedo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9660, USA
Interests: neuroimaging; pair-bonding; sensory processing sensitivity; romantic love; couples; relationship processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Adam Bode

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Interests: romantic love; human mating; evolutionary behavioral science

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, researchers have made notable contributions to the science of mating, love, and attachment. The field now has a better understanding of the biological and psychological processes that underly the formation, establishment, maintenance, and dissolution of pair bonds. Researchers have also continued to put forward theories and measures and use new methodical instruments—including EEG, fMRI, and virtual reality—to advance the science of romantic relationships. They have also progressed with the times, studying the impact of contextual factors— such as online dating and the COVID-19 pandemic—and have paid greater attention to diversity. Thus, the landscape of the study of pair bonds is evolving and creating a more inclusive perspective on relationship science.

As such, this Special Issue aims to showcase new evidence on mating, pair-bonding, and attachment behaviors and processes observed in humans and other species. From short-term to long-term mating, the great variation in mating strategies has opened up important areas of research. Sex and behavioral strategies for mating are varied, and technology has facilitated the expression and investigation of their variation. Mate choice also takes many forms and is influenced by a variety of factors including attraction, age, personality, romantic/passionate love, and culture as well. Courtship is increasingly undertaken in online dating contexts, but still, propinquity plays a role, so it occurs in the workplace, school, and via social networks. Also, how individuals choose to express commitment to their romantic partnerships is shifting, such that many are choosing to remain unmarried and prolong singlehood. All of these areas, and many more, represent rich fields of inquiry that shed light on the very essence of variety in the expression of romantic relationships.

In this Special Issue, we seek to cast a wide net to build a collection of studies that examine romantic relationships through a new lens or build on existing work. Specifically, this Special Issue on love, mating, and attachment will highlight studies that expand knowledge on questions and topics that never cease to captivate and motivate us and which are critical for the propagation and well-being of our species. We welcome papers from all fields that focus on mating, love, and attachment in romantic relationships/pair bonds and that use a variety of methodologies to examine these topics.

Prof. Dr. Bianca P. Acevedo
Guest Editor

Adam Bode
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • short and long-term mating
  • mate choice
  • attraction
  • romantic love
  • pair-bonding
  • online dating
  • mate preferences
  • jealousy
  • infidelity
  • co-habitation
  • marriage
  • sex
  • attachment theory
  • couples therapy
  • psychometrics
  • measures
  • quantitative and qualitative research
  • fMRI
  • EEG
  • psychophysiology

Published Papers (2 papers)

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17 pages, 1050 KiB  
Article
Attachment Orientation and Preferences for Partners’ Emotional Responses in Stressful and Positive Situations
by Brian N. Chin, Lauryn Kim, Shelby M. Parsons and Brooke C. Feeney
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010077 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1170
Abstract
Attachment theory proposes that close relationships help us to regulate our emotions in stressful and positive situations. However, no previous studies have examined preferences for a partner’s emotional response to one’s own stressful and positive situations or tested whether these preferences differ based [...] Read more.
Attachment theory proposes that close relationships help us to regulate our emotions in stressful and positive situations. However, no previous studies have examined preferences for a partner’s emotional response to one’s own stressful and positive situations or tested whether these preferences differ based on attachment orientation. This study examines the association of attachment orientation and preferences for partners’ emotional responses relative to one’s own emotional responses in stressful and positive contexts among 425 United States adults who were currently in a committed relationship of ≥6 months. Data were collected in 2020. Overall, participants preferred their partners to feel and express less distress, less worry, more calm, and more hope than themselves during stressful situations and for their partners to feel and express more excitement, pride, and hope than themselves during positive situations. Higher attachment anxiety predicted preferences for partners to feel and express more distress/worry in stressful situations, whereas higher attachment avoidance predicted preferences for partners to feel and express less hope in stressful situations. Statistical interactions of attachment anxiety × attachment avoidance indicated that the combination of low attachment anxiety and high attachment avoidance (dismissing avoidance) was associated with preferences for partners to feel and express less positive emotions in positive situations, whereas the combination of high attachment anxiety and high attachment avoidance (fearful avoidance) was associated with preferences for partners to feel and express more negative emotions in stressful situations and less positive emotions in positive situations. This investigation provides novel evidence for links between attachment orientation and preferences for partners’ emotional responses in two theoretically important contexts, which has implications for the nature and function of emotion regulation in close relationships. Future research is needed to determine the generalizability of these findings to more collectivist cultural contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Science of Mating, Love, and Attachment in Romantic Relationships)
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18 pages, 733 KiB  
Article
Romantic Love and Behavioral Activation System Sensitivity to a Loved One
by Adam Bode and Phillip S. Kavanagh
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 921; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13110921 - 10 Nov 2023
Viewed by 13503
Abstract
Research investigating the mechanisms that contribute to romantic love is in its infancy. The behavioral activation system is one biopsychological system that has been demonstrated to play a role in several motivational outcomes. This study was the first to investigate romantic love and [...] Read more.
Research investigating the mechanisms that contribute to romantic love is in its infancy. The behavioral activation system is one biopsychological system that has been demonstrated to play a role in several motivational outcomes. This study was the first to investigate romantic love and the behavioral activation system. In study 1, the Behavioral Activation System—Sensitivity to a Loved One (BAS-SLO) Scale was validated in a sample of 1556 partnered young adults experiencing romantic love. In study 2, hierarchical linear regression was used to identify BAS-SLO Scale associations with the intensity of romantic love in a subsample of 812 partnered young adults experiencing romantic love for two years or less. The BAS-SLO Scale explained 8.89% of the variance in the intensity of romantic love. Subject to further validation and testing, the BAS-SLO Scale may be useful in future neuroimaging and psychological studies. The findings are considered in terms of the mechanisms and evolutionary history of romantic love. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Science of Mating, Love, and Attachment in Romantic Relationships)
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